Replies to post #532 on Rockwell Automation (ROK)

[Investorman]

I'll bet they let it get over $100 before they split.

[Investorman]

At this rate, $100 may not be far off.

[Investorman]

Rokin' and rollin' again today.

[Investorman]

I think $91.18 is a new high.

[Investorman]

ROK getting close to $100

[Investorman]

I guess that split prediction didn't work out. On the other hand, ROK is now within spitting distance of $100 a share.

[Investorman]

Rockwell Automation churns out strong 3Q results

Rockwell Automation's 3Q earnings rise 50 pct, boosted by weaker dollar, stronger economy


On Thursday July 28, 2011, 6:04 pm EDT

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Rockwell Automation Inc.'s quarterly earnings climbed 50 percent as a stronger economy and weaker dollar propelled the supplier of industrial machinery and software.

The company said Thursday that it earned $179.5 million, or $1.23 per share, in its fiscal third quarter ended in June. That compared with net income of $119.4 million, or 83 cents per share, at the same time last year.

Revenue rose to $1.52 billion, a 20 percent increase from $1.27 billion at the same time last year.

Analysts, on average, had projected the company would earn $1.19 per share on revenue of $1.48 billion, according to FactSet.

Rockwell received a $72 million lift from favorable currency exchanges created by the weaker dollar. The company, which is based in Milwaukee, sells its products in more than 80 countries. More than half of its revenue comes from outside the U.S.

If currency rates had been unchanged from a year ago, Rockwell's revenue would have risen by 14 percent in the latest quarter.

The company is also benefiting from a gradually recovering economy that is unleashing pent-up demand among its customers. "We are on track for an excellent year," said Rockwell CEO Keith Nosbusch.

In a show of its confidence, Rockwell raised its guidance for its full fiscal-year results to earnings per share of $4.55 to $4.65 on revenue of $5.9 billion. The average analyst estimate had called for earnings of $4.59 per share on revenue of $5.8 billion.

[Investorman]

Rockwell Automation Expects to Boost Asia Sales 30% on China

By Jasmine Wang - Aug 1, 2011


Rockwell Automation Inc. (ROK), the largest standalone maker of industrial-automation systems in the U.S., expects to boost Asia-Pacific sales 30 percent this fiscal year helped by demand in China and acquisitions.

Regional sales in the quarter ending September will likely rise about 30 percent, matching the pace in the first three quarters of the fiscal year, Robert Ruff, the company’s Asia- Pacific president, said in an interview in Hong Kong yesterday. The region accounted for about 15 percent of the Milwaukee-based company’s sales last fiscal year.

Rockwell plans to continue expanding in China with “high velocity” and it’s considering acquisitions in Asia, Ruff said, as rising wages and economic growth spur demand for automation products. The company competes with the likes of Siemens AG (SIE) and ABB Ltd. (ABB) and supplies clients ranging from automakers to oil producers.

Rockwell has “a funnel of potential acquisitions across Asia,” Ruff said. He didn’t name any possible targets.

The company in 2009 completed the takeover of closely held Xi’An Hengsheng Science & Technology Co. The deal boosted access to Chinese utilities companies and expanded Rockwell’s pool of engineers with local expertise, Ruff said.

Rockwell has about 1,800 employees including engineers and sales representatives in the China, which accounts for about 50 percent of its business in the region, he said.