Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Stock Position Lifted by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 26.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 188,006 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 38,763 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.17% of Rockwell Automation worth $53,730,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ROK. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth $284,177,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 85,513.1% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 675,487 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $193,047,000 after purchasing an additional 674,698 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 102.3% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,287,731 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $368,021,000 after purchasing an additional 651,116 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,115,280 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,033,476,000 after buying an additional 432,934 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $580,095,000 after buying an additional 430,498 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation 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 sale, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares of the company's stock, valued at $490,242.93. This trade represents a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total transaction of $75,500.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,260.96. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,223,428 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:ROK traded up $3.64 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $294.88. 1,024,672 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 869,455. The firm has a market cap of $33.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.72, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $251.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.77. 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 current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.50 EPS. The company's revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $308.37.

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.