Insider Buying: Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) CEO Acquires $1,545,440.00 in Stock

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) CEO Blake Moret bought 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The stock was bought at an average price of $386.36 per share, with a total value of $1,545,440.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 99,285 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,359,752.60. This trade represents a 4.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock traded up $13.09 on Monday, reaching $388.95. 1,434,298 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 870,680. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.11. The company’s 50-day moving average is $429.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $427.32. The firm has a market cap of $43.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.51. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $347.53 and a 1-year high of $497.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.19. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 15.68%. The business had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.34 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.500-15.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 15.00 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a $1.45 dividend. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 46.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $430.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Stephens dropped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $520.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Friday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $471.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 36.9% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 349 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $152,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 31.5% during the third quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 7,556 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,291,000 after purchasing an additional 1,810 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 112.1% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,992 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 1,053 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 62.2% in the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 207,725 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $90,429,000 after purchasing an additional 79,627 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 6.5% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 5,538 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,411,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc is an industrial automation and digital transformation company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its roots date to 1903, when it was founded as the Compression Rheostat Company.

The company provides hardware, software and services that help manufacturers automate and manage industrial operations. Its offerings include control systems, sensors, motor-control products, industrial software and services for optimizing production and maintaining equipment. Its Allen-Bradley and FactoryTalk brands are among its best-known product lines.

Rockwell Automation serves customers across a range of industries and operates in markets around the world.