DOW JONES NEWSWIRES Rockwell Automation Inc.'s (ROK) fiscal second-quarter profit more than tripled as architecture and software sales surged and margins widened. Results handily beat analysts' expectations, and the company raised its 2010 forecast, now projecting earnings of $2.60 to $2.90 a share on revenue of $4.65 billion to $4.8 billion. It had projected $2 to $2.40 and $4.4 billion to $4.6 billion, respectively. The maker of factory-automation equipment and software is seeing conditions improve after dealing with sliding demand over the past few years. Some analysts have said the company is a prime takeover target for General Electric Co. (GE) as the conglomerate shifts its focus to manufacturing and industrial growth from finance. Rockwell reported profit of $137 million, or 95 cents a share, from $40.6 million, or 29 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 10% to $1.16 billion. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of 52 cents on $1.1 billion in revenue. Gross margin widened to 40.6% from 34.4%, in part on the sales gains. Revenue jumped 31% in the company's architecture and software business while declining 2.5% in its larger control-products unit. Shares closed Tuesday at $61.27 and were inactive premarket. The stock has more than doubled in the past year. -By Matt Jarzemsky; Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2240, matthew.jarzemsky@dowjones.com
