Natixis Purchases New Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Natixis acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,853 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $530,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,348,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at approximately $464,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 4.3% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,404 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,256,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in 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 worth $54,948,000 after purchasing an additional 11,161 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,347 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $671,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $248.00 to $201.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $297.11.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $490,242.93. This represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total value of $75,500.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at $495,260.96. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,075,923. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK traded down $0.25 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $247.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,018,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 871,361. The stock has a market cap of $27.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The business's 50-day moving average price is $254.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $273.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.00 and a 12 month high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.26%.

Rockwell Automation Company 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.