Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft Trims Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Key Points

• Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft has reduced its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. by 44.3%, holding 3,520 shares valued at $908,000 after selling 2,797 shares.
• Rockwell Automation reported a quarterly EPS of $2.45, exceeding analysts' estimates of $2.09, although revenue for the quarter declined by 5.9% year-over-year to $2 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.31 per share, representing an annual yield of 1.49%, with a current significant dividend payout ratio of 65.99%.

Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 44.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,520 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,797 shares during the quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $908,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in 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 valued at $2,033,476,000 after buying an additional 432,934 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,734,430 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $779,426,000 after buying an additional 51,228 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,417,323 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $405,057,000 after buying an additional 53,287 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,391,331 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $397,628,000 after buying an additional 171,604 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,158,161 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $330,991,000 after purchasing an additional 29,350 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total transaction of $760,325.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $314,166.29. This trade represents a 70.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 363 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.32, for a total value of $118,454.16. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,325,838.16. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,757 shares of company stock valued at $3,138,220 in the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK traded up $3.79 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $348.29. The stock had a trading volume of 272,598 shares, compared to its average volume of 919,130. The company has a market capitalization of $39.26 billion, a PE ratio of 43.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.39. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $334.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $292.56. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $360.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.16% and a net margin of 11.38%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.50 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ROK. CICC Research began coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Monday, July 7th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $381.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. TD Cowen raised Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $375.00 target price (up from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $341.11.

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.