Dillon & Associates Inc. Has $1.39 Million Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Key Points

• Dillon & Associates Inc. reduced its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. by 35.1%, holding 5,392 shares valued at approximately $1.39 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Several hedge funds have increased their positions in Rockwell Automation, with Price T Rowe Associates raising their holdings by 6.5% and Goldman Sachs increasing theirs by 11.8% in the past quarter.
• Rockwell Automation reported a quarterly EPS of $2.82, surpassing analysts' expectations, with revenue for the quarter reaching $2.14 billion.

Dillon & Associates Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 35.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,392 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,918 shares during the quarter. Dillon & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,391,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised 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 buying an additional 432,934 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 11.8% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,819,379 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $470,091,000 after buying an additional 191,370 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.6% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,579,956 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $408,229,000 after buying an additional 9,920 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,448,160 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $374,176,000 after buying an additional 30,837 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 14.1% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 363 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.32, for a total transaction of $118,454.16. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,325,838.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 297 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.31, for a total value of $96,914.07. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,691 shares in the company, valued at approximately $551,790.21. This represents a 14.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,818 shares of company stock valued at $1,944,708 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ROK shares. CICC Research started coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Monday, July 7th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $381.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $371.00 to $363.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company set a $345.00 price target on Rockwell Automation and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Bank of America upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $360.00 to $410.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $375.00 price target (up previously from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $339.47.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $333.67 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $360.92. The stock has a market cap of $37.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.39. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $336.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $294.28.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.50%.

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.

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