Topic: How To Invest

Q: I’m interested in getting your opinion on Rockwell Automation, trading on New York. Thank you

Article Excerpt

A: Rockwell Automation Inc., $260.18, symbol ROK on New York (Shares outstanding: 116.2 million; Market cap: $30.7 billion; www.rockwellautomation.com), provides industrial automation hardware and software products. The company has three operating segments: Intelligent Devices (47% of 2021 sales), Lifecycle Services (25%), and Software and Control (28%). It has more than 24,000 employees, with more than half of them outside the U.S. On November 1, 2021, Rockwell announced that it had acquired Avata Inc., a Texas-based service provider of supply chain management, enterprise resource planning, and enterprise performance management solutions. By combining its own Kalypso unit with Avata, Rockwell aims to help more companies digitally transform their supply chain management. The acquisition also lets the company expand its supply chain consulting services. Rockwell’s revenue rose 10.9% between fiscal 2017 (years end September 30) and fiscal 2021, from $6.31 billion to $7.00 billion. Over the same period, per-share earnings rose 39.5%, from $6.76 to $9.43. In its fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2021, the company’s revenue…