Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Cuts Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lowered its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 7.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 89,519 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 7,192 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned 0.08% of Rockwell Automation worth $31,289,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the second quarter valued at about $368,575,000. Holocene Advisors LP increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 128.9% in the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 866,992 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $287,989,000 after buying an additional 488,262 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 720.8% during the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 399,309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $132,638,000 after acquiring an additional 350,662 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7,730.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 354,792 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $117,851,000 after acquiring an additional 350,261 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 294.5% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 429,492 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $142,664,000 after acquiring an additional 320,627 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $410.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Monday, December 15th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $440.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $439.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $392.00 to $402.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $406.13.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $409.40 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.52. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.00 and a 12-month high of $415.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $390.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $360.94.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $3.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.40. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 10.42% and a return on equity of 32.69%. The business had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.47 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.200-12.200 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a $1.38 dividend. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.31. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.06%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 1,387 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.03, for a total transaction of $557,615.61. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 4,514 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,814,763.42. This represents a 23.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,020 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.07, for a total transaction of $410,111.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 6,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,420,863.47. This represents a 14.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 88,053 shares of company stock valued at $34,718,919. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Profile

Rockwell Automation is a global industrial automation and digital transformation company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm designs, manufactures and supports control systems, industrial control hardware and software, and related services that help manufacturers and industrial operators automate processes, improve productivity and enable data-driven decision making. Rockwell traces its heritage to the Allen-Bradley and Rockwell automation businesses and positions itself as a provider of integrated automation solutions across discrete and process industries.

The company’s product portfolio includes programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), variable frequency drives, sensors, safety components and other industrial control hardware, often marketed under the Allen-Bradley brand.