ROK vs. SYM: Rockwell Automation vs. Symbotic Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but ROK is classified in Electrical Equipment while SYM is classified in Machinery.

Rockwell Automation (ROK) has more than two decades of public-market history since December 31, 1981, whereas Symbotic (SYM) listed on March 9, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM)
Profile Item	ROK	SYM
Name	Rockwell Automation Inc.	Symbotic Inc. Class A Common Stock
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Electrical Equipment	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Electrical Components & Equipment	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	41.82 billion USD	22.29 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	December 31, 1981	March 9, 2021
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ROK

SYM

GSPC

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	ROK	SYM
Total Return (1Y)	6.19%	-44.66%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	16.94%	6.78%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	4.86%	30.90%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ROK

SYM

GSPC

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	ROK	SYM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	34.28%	78.15%
Beta (5Y)	1.54	2.05
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-45.09%	-72.46%
Avg. Volume (3M)	799.28K	1.61M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ROK and SYM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	ROK	SYM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.06	-0.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.07	-0.93

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 38.73% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Symbotic (SYM) at 4.39% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for ROK.

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

38.73%

Max: 40.55%
ROK: 38.73%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

4.39%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
SYM: 4.39%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 15.68% keeps a top-quartile share of each sales dollar as profit, while Symbotic (SYM) at 0.31% keeps a bottom-quartile share.

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

15.68%

Max: 27.47%
ROK: 15.68%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.31%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
SYM: 0.31%
Min: -12.89%

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 14.75% runs core operations around its industry’s norm, while Symbotic (SYM) at 4.59% operates in the bottom quartile.

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

14.75%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
ROK: 14.75%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

4.59%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
SYM: 4.59%
Min: -12.63%

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	ROK	SYM
ROE (TTM)	38.73%	4.39%
ROA (TTM)	9.32%	0.32%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.68%	0.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)	14.75%	4.59%
Gross Margin (TTM)	48.95%	21.27%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Symbotic (SYM) reports revenue growth of 25.65%, ranked against its industry; Rockwell Automation (ROK) has no revenue growth figure this period.

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Rockwell Automation (ROK) reports EPS growth of 63.49%, ranked against its industry; Symbotic (SYM) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	ROK	SYM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	--	25.65%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	55.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)	63.49%	--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.62%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 2.11 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Symbotic (SYM) at 1.33 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for SYM.

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

2.11

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
ROK: 2.11
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

1.33

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
SYM: 1.33
Min: 0.36

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Symbotic (SYM) at 0.02 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 1.00 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

1.00

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
ROK: 1.00
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.02

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
SYM: 0.02
Min: 0.00

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	ROK	SYM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.11	1.33
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.00	0.02
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.58	-30.44

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Rockwell Automation (ROK) nor Symbotic (SYM) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
ROK: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
SYM: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Symbotic (SYM) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Rockwell Automation (ROK) reports a payout of 51.03%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

51.03%

Max: 67.39%
ROK: 51.03%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
SYM: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	ROK	SYM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	51.03%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 29.97 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Symbotic (SYM) at 460.25 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for SYM’s trailing earnings.

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

29.97

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
ROK: 29.97
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

460.25

SYM: 460.25
Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 4.65 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Symbotic (SYM) at 8.42 prices even higher, above its industry range.

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

4.65

Max: 7.54
ROK: 4.65
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

8.42

SYM: 8.42
Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Symbotic (SYM) at 6.70 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 11.76 prices even higher, above its industry range.

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

11.76

ROK: 11.76
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

6.70

Max: 9.66
SYM: 6.70
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	ROK	SYM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	29.97	460.25
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.65	8.42
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.76	6.70
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-1.13%	2.46%