Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Purchases 9,795 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 30.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,081 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 9,795 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $10,873,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of ROK. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $281,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $1,199,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,117 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $328,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 213,499 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $61,016,000 after purchasing an additional 8,820 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $321.45 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $286.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $280.60. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.00 and a 12-month high of $328.90.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.50 EPS. Research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. Barclays raised shares of Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $283.00 to $350.00 in a report on Friday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $327.00 to $371.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $317.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 363 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.32, for a total value of $118,454.16. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,325,838.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total transaction of $75,500.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at $495,260.96. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,681 shares of company stock worth $2,382,987 in the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Rockwell Automation

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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