OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Takes Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 24,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,859,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ROK. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 204,679 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $54,948,000 after purchasing an additional 11,161 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 920 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 24,479 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,996,000 after purchasing an additional 1,365 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 1,074 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $307,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Agate Pass Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $773,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ROK. Stephens upgraded Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $283.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $308.37.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total value of $760,325.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,033 shares in the company, valued at $314,166.29. The trade was a 70.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,689 shares of company stock valued at $2,269,435 in the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.7%

NYSE:ROK opened at $299.79 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $252.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $274.02. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.00 and a 52-week high of $308.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a market cap of $33.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.99%.

Rockwell Automation Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services.