Axa S.A. Acquires 13,834 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

AXA S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 579.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,221 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,834 shares during the quarter. AXA S.A.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $4,636,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ROK. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Cowen raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. KeyCorp upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $308.37.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at $490,242.93. This trade represents a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.01, for a total value of $147,505.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $837,238.38. The trade was a 14.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,250 shares of company stock worth $1,223,428. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 1.2 %

Rockwell Automation stock traded up $3.64 during trading on Friday, hitting $294.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,024,672 shares, compared to its average volume of 869,455. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $33.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. The stock's fifty day moving average is $251.89 and its 200 day moving average is $273.77. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.00 and a 1-year high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.