We recently published a list of 15 Stocks With The Most Insider Sales In The Last Quarter. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) stands against other stocks with the most insider sales in the last quarter.
A veil of uncertainty has hung over Wall Street these past few weeks, and the cover seems even tighter as investors and economists hold their breath ahead of the Fed’s big announcement on Wednesday.
The Fed will reveal its interest rate decision, which will be followed by a press conference with Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Since September, the Fed has cut interest rates three times, and still, the broader market entered a correction. Many experts believe that interest rate cuts are off the table for this month and are focusing on the Fed officials’ ‘dot plot’ and future rate decisions, according to Yahoo Finance.
Amid these expectations, blue-chip companies dropped 0.62%, the broader market index declined 1.07%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 1.71%, remaining in correction territory. NASDAQ Composite was dragged by some of the biggest gems in the tech sector.
Evercore ISI’s Julian Emanuel said that Powell should calm the market by assuring investors the economic growth is still healthy and that inflation is expected to move toward the Fed’s 2% target.
Scott Helfstein, Global X’s head of investment strategy noted that even though there are some risks to price stability and full employment “this is not time to sell and go away, but perhaps time to review long-term strategy against near-term volatility.”
As political and economic landscapes shift, some analysts remain optimistic about AI technology’s growth potential. Insider trading often draws attention during such times, as company executives have unique insights into their organizations. For example, when a CEO or CFO buys company stock, it may signal confidence in the company’s future.
However, insider selling doesn’t necessarily reflect a lack of faith in the company. It could be driven by personal financial needs or a desire to diversify assets. Executives often use pre-established plans, like 10b5-1 plans, to ensure transparency and avoid accusations of improper timing.
While insider trading can offer valuable clues, it’s crucial to consider it alongside factors like financial performance, market trends, and industry developments.
Our Methodology
We’ll focus on the stocks with the highest number of insider sales in the past quarter. Using Insider Monkey’s insider trading screener, we’ve identified stocks where at least five insiders made sales between October 1 and December 31. From this group, we’ve highlighted the 15 stocks with the most individual sales.
Our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds, focusing on insider trading and stock picks from hedge fund investor newsletters and conferences. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
For each stock, we provide details on the number of insider sales and the company’s current market capitalization.
A technician in a factory setting next to an industrial automation machine.
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)
Number of Insiders Selling: 14
Market Capitalization: $29.98 billion
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions, operating in more than 100 countries across the globe. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-headquartered company is known for brands such as Allen-Bradley, FactoryTalk software, and LifecycleIQ Services.
For the first quarter of fiscal 2025, Rockwell (NYSE:ROK) disclosed sales of $1.88 billion, down 8.4% from $2.05 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2024. Net income attributable to Rockwell was $184 million or $1.61 per share, compared to $215 million or $1.86 per share in the same period of fiscal 2024. The company attributes the decreases in net income and diluted EPS to lower sales volume.
On February 4, the company confirmed the deepening of its long-standing partnership with FORTNA.
More recently, Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, recognized Rockwell as one of the 2025 World’s Most Ethical Companies.
In November and December, 14 insiders, including the company’s president and CEO, CIO, and CTO, sold a total of $12.89 million worth of Rockwell shares at an average price of $297.44. Currently, the stock trades at $258.13 per share, having declined 9.68% since the beginning of the year and 7.21% over the past 12 months.
Jim Cramer recently expressed disappointment with Rockwell and suggested investors buy Tesla instead.
Based on 19 analysts’ estimates, Rockwell (NYSE:ROK) stock is rated a ‘Hold’ with a price target of $307.68. According to MarketBeat, the average price target suggests a 19.25% upside.
Overall, ROK ranks 4th on our list of stocks with the most insider sales in the last quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of ROK, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ROK but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
