Boston Common Asset Management LLC Raises Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC grew its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 51.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,659 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 9,427 shares during the period. Boston Common Asset Management LLC's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $7,147,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE:ROK traded up $0.25 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $315.18. The company had a trading volume of 1,520,895 shares, compared to its average volume of 879,192. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.00 and a 1-year high of $316.22. The firm has a market cap of $35.53 billion, a PE ratio of 39.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. The business's 50 day moving average price is $264.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $277.47. 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 announced its quarterly 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. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.50 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is presently 65.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. 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 report on Friday, May 9th. BNP Paribas raised Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays raised Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $283.00 to $350.00 in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $313.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total transaction of $145,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at $552,716.70. This represents a 20.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.02, for a total value of $141,759.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,838 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $894,026.76. The trade was a 13.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,555,841. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.