Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lowered its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 359,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 10,500 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.31% of Rockwell Automation worth $111,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ROK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,752,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $786,778,000 after purchasing an additional 70,272 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,908,119 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $545,474,000 after buying an additional 172,577 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,518,807 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $434,181,000 after buying an additional 3,845 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,399,076 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $399,954,000 after buying an additional 43,992 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 900,626 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $279,626,000 after acquiring an additional 2,736 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on ROK shares. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $290.00 target price (down from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $310.08.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Robert L. Buttermore sold 201 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.50, for a total value of $55,777.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,311 shares in the company, valued at $641,302.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,901,262.60. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Robert L. Buttermore sold 201 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.50, for a total value of $55,777.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,311 shares in the company, valued at $641,302.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,240 shares of company stock valued at $4,891,324 over the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.5 %

ROK stock opened at $274.05 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $282.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $283.03. The company has a market capitalization of $31.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.43. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $252.11 and a 52 week high of $348.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.46 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.57%.

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.