10:58 AM EST, 02/10/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Rockwell Automation ( ROK ) affirmed its full-year earnings outlook on Monday as the industrial automation company's bottom-line results for the fiscal first quarter came in ahead of Wall Street estimates.

Adjusted earnings came in at $1.83 a share for the quarter ended Dec. 31, down from $2.04 the year before, but above the FactSet-polled consensus of $1.58. Sales dropped 8.4% year over year to $1.88 billion, largely in line with the Street's view. The stock jumped 11% in Monday trading.

"(First-quarter) margins and EPS came in well above our expectations this quarter, reflecting some early benefits of Rockwell's renewed focus on operational excellence and cost discipline," Chief Executive Blake Moret said in a statement. "From a demand perspective, we are encouraged by better-than-expected order performance in the quarter with sequential growth across all regions and business segments."

The group continues to project adjusted EPS to be in a range of $8.60 to $9.80 per share for fiscal 2025, while the current average analyst estimate is for $9.24. Reported sales are now expected to come in at $8.1 billion at the midpoint, compared with the company's previous guidance for roughly $8.2 billion. The Street is looking for sales of $8.13 billion.

"We continue to expect gradual sequential improvement in our sales and margins as we move through this fiscal year, including potential impacts from tariffs," according to Moret. "I'm pleased with the progress our teams are making toward our long-term productivity and margin expansion targets, and I'm confident we are making the right investments to drive sustained growth and profitability."

US President Donald Trump reportedly said on the weekend that he will impose new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the country. Earlier this month, Trump paused announced tariffs on Mexico and Canada for a month as the countries engage in negotiations. Trump also imposed a 10% levy on imports from China.

Sales in Rockwell's intelligent devices segment fell to $806 million in the first quarter from $927 million in the prior-year period, amid lower volume. Software and control revenue dropped 12% from last year to $529 million while lifecycle services rose 5% to $546 million.

The company recorded a 10% annual gain in orders, which also grew by mid-single digits on a sequential basis, it said. "While there is still some macroeconomic and policy uncertainty weighing on customers' (capital expenditure) plans, Rockwell won multi-million dollar strategic orders across key industries, especially in the US," Moret said.

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