IFM Investors Pty Ltd Raises Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its stake in Rockwell Automation, acquiring an additional 1,195 shares, bringing its total holdings to 21,655 shares valued at approximately $7.19 million.
• Insider selling has been prominent, with VP Terry L. Riesterer and CEO Blake D. Moret selling shares, resulting in a significant decrease in their respective ownership stakes.
• Several analysts recently upgraded their ratings on Rockwell Automation, with Bank of America raising its target price from $360 to $410 and reaffirming a buy rating.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 5.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,655 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,195 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $7,193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ROK. Howe & Rusling Inc. lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 4.9% in the first quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 794 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $205,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased 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 valued at $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.6% during the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 7,708 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,992,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Kelly Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 4.4% in the first quarter. Kelly Financial Services LLC now owns 1,096 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $283,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $392.00 price objective (up previously from $371.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Monday, July 14th. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Monday, July 7th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $381.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.16.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 365 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.44, for a total transaction of $127,180.60. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,691 shares in the company, valued at $589,212.04. The trade was a 17.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.08, for a total value of $735,168.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $361,632.64. This represents a 67.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,922 shares of company stock valued at $11,191,812 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK traded down $0.78 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $347.78. 1,045,572 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 757,936. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.00 and a 1-year high of $360.92. The business's 50-day moving average price is $346.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $306.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.10 billion, a PE ratio of 40.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

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

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.