SouthState Bank Corp Purchases 1,917 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

SouthState Bank Corp raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,815 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,917 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation makes up about 0.9% of SouthState Bank Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. SouthState Bank Corp’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $20,938,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ROK. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 109.5% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 88 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 80.7% in the fourth quarter. Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 103 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 3.4%

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $446.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $305.44 and a 1 year high of $468.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $418.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $404.04. The stock has a market cap of $49.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.41, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.57.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.42. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 37.54%. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.45 EPS. The firm’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, research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.38%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 2,538 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $446.43, for a total transaction of $1,133,039.34. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 14,232 shares in the company, valued at $6,353,591.76. This represents a 15.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $480,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,774,800. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 12,308 shares of company stock worth $5,339,812 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 price target (down from $490.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $404.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $449.16.

Rockwell Automation Company 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.