Banque Transatlantique SA Takes $8.29 Million Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 29,118 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $8,289,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,775 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,079,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,896 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $542,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on ROK. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $283.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $297.11.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 11.8 %

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock traded up $29.96 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $283.01. The company had a trading volume of 2,254,562 shares, compared to its average volume of 871,669. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.00 and a fifty-two week high of $308.70. The firm's fifty day moving average is $251.17 and its 200-day moving average is $273.32. The company has a market cap of $32.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

About Rockwell Automation

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.