Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Invests $31.77 Million in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 122,965 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $31,771,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned 0.11% of Rockwell Automation as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total value of $760,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $314,166.29. The trade was a 70.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 297 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.31, for a total transaction of $96,914.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,691 shares of the company's stock, valued at $551,790.21. The trade was a 14.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 7,681 shares of company stock valued at $2,382,987. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE ROK traded down $7.78 on Friday, reaching $317.36. 696,490 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 884,643. The firm has a market cap of $35.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $279.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $279.78. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.00 and a fifty-two week high of $328.90. 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 (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.50 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $327.00 to $371.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $317.79.

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.