iA Global Asset Management Inc. Invests $3.19 Million in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 8,897 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,193,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. now owns 1,358 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $487,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 4.6% during the first quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 574 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,719 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,544,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,412 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,446 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $471.99 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $450.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $414.32. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $305.44 and a 1-year high of $497.36. The company has a market cap of $52.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.06, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.54.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.42. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.54% and a net margin of 12.36%.The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.45 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 57.38%.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, June 9th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on ROK shares. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $501.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $495.00 to $515.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $462.82.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total transaction of $449,025.08. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 5,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,392,102.30. This trade represents a 15.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total transaction of $1,818,727.28. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,563.98. This represents a 96.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 12,009 shares of company stock worth $5,232,471. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

About Rockwell Automation

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.