Rep. George Whitesides Sells Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares

Representative George Whitesides (D-California) recently sold shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK). In a filing disclosed on April 23rd, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $50,001 and $100,000 in Rockwell Automation stock on March 24th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “GEORGE WHITESIDES INDIVIDUAL” account.

Representative George Whitesides also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $100,001 – $250,000 in shares of Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) on 3/27/2025.
• Sold $250,001 – $500,000 in shares of Innoviva (NASDAQ:INVA) on 3/25/2025.
• Sold $100,001 – $250,000 in shares of Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $100,001 – $250,000 in shares of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Sandoz Group (OTCMKTS:SDZNY) on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $50,001 – $100,000 in shares of Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $100,001 – $250,000 in shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Diageo (NYSE:DEO) on 3/24/2025.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $248.25 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $257.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $274.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $308.70. The firm has a market cap of $28.07 billion, a PE ratio of 30.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. On average, research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ROK shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens raised shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $297.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total value of $75,500.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,260.96. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Citizens National Bank Trust Department bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Representative Whitesides

George Whitesides (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing California’s 27th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Whitesides (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent California’s 27th Congressional District. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

George Whitesides earned a bachelor’s degree in public and international affairs from Princeton University in 1996 and a master’s degree in remote sensing and GIS from the University of Cambridge in 2000. His career experience includes working as the chief of staff for NASA during the administration of President Barack Obama (D) and the CEO of human spaceflight company Virgin Galactic. Whitesides co-founded Megafire Action, an organization dedicated to responding to wildfires. Whitesides co-chaired the Antelope Valley Covid-19 Task Force and joined the Antelope Valley Economic Development and Growth Enterprise (AV EDGE) as a board member.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services.