ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Invests $6.82 Million in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. has acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation worth approximately $6.82 million, purchasing 26,390 shares in the first quarter.
• Rockwell Automation announced a quarterly dividend of $1.31 per share, representing an annual yield of 1.6% with a payout ratio of 65.99%.
• The company's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $2.82, exceeding estimates, with revenues rising to $2.14 billion, a 4.5% increase from the previous year.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 26,390 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $6,818,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 29,844.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 702,794 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $181,588,000 after acquiring an additional 700,447 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,115,280 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,033,476,000 after purchasing an additional 432,934 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 56.9% during the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 935,726 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $267,421,000 after purchasing an additional 339,480 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 289.6% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 416,893 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $119,144,000 after purchasing an additional 309,893 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 11.8% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,819,379 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $470,091,000 after purchasing an additional 191,370 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related 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 sale, the vice president owned 1,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $314,166.29. The trade was a 70.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 551 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.31, for a total transaction of $179,796.81. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 12,711 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,147,726.41. The trade was a 4.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 9,257 shares of company stock valued at $2,990,715. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.3%

ROK stock traded up $1.08 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $333.67. The stock had a trading volume of 874,648 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,011,259. The company's 50-day moving average price is $336.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $294.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $37.51 billion, a PE ratio of 39.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.00 and a 12-month high of $360.92.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.14% and a net margin of 12.03%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is presently 65.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ROK shares. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $357.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $380.00 price objective (up previously from $370.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $375.00 target price (up from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Loop Capital boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $371.00 to $363.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $339.47.

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.