Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 73.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,890 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 27,349 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $2,555,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 39.1% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 1,063 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $281,000. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 14,478 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,135,000 after buying an additional 1,872 shares in the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at $8,289,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $298,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on ROK. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $327.00 to $371.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Barclays raised Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $283.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, TD Cowen raised Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $317.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.01, for a total transaction of $147,505.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,838 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $837,238.38. This trade represents a 14.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.33, for a total value of $81,582.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $492,431.97. This trade represents a 14.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,681 shares of company stock valued at $2,382,987. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE ROK traded up $3.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $323.81. 61,269 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 879,033. The company has a market capitalization of $36.50 billion, a PE ratio of 40.88, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.00 and a 52-week high of $328.90. The firm's 50-day moving average is $283.16 and its 200-day moving average is $280.15.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.16% and a net margin of 11.38%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 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.