Caxton Associates LLP Purchases New Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP recently invested approximately $966,000 in Rockwell Automation by acquiring 3,740 shares of the company.
• Insider selling has been significant, with a VP selling 2,100 shares worth about $735,168, indicating a decrease of 67.03% in their holdings.
• Analysts have set varying price targets for Rockwell Automation, with estimates ranging from $290.00 to $381.00, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,740 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $966,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,424 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,401,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 3.7% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $608,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,652 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $281,000. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 128.7% in the 1st quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 4,382 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 2,466 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded down $5.57 during trading on Friday, reaching $344.97. 545,729 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 762,274. The firm has a market cap of $38.79 billion, a PE ratio of 40.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 1.41. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.00 and a fifty-two week high of $360.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $345.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $303.90.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Rockwell Automation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. KeyCorp increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $392.00 price objective (up previously from $371.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Monday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.16.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, Director James P. Keane sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.06, for a total transaction of $1,068,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 9,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,272,903.52. The trade was a 24.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,435 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.08, for a total value of $499,494.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,787 shares in the company, valued at $1,318,178.96. The trade was a 27.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,922 shares of company stock worth $11,191,812 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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.