Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc., purchasing 5,916 shares valued at approximately $1.53 million.
• Analysts have recently increased their price targets for Rockwell Automation, with Barclays and Wells Fargo setting targets at $370.00 and $365.00 respectively, both issuing "overweight" ratings.
• Rockwell Automation announced a quarterly dividend of $1.31, representing a 1.5% yield, with a payout ratio of 65.99% for shareholders of record.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 5,916 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,529,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the fourth 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 boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 7,708 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,992,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Kelly Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Kelly Financial Services LLC now owns 1,096 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,097 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,059,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on ROK. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $304.00 to $371.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Bank of America upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $360.00 to $410.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $341.11.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 289 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.33, for a total transaction of $94,309.37. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,042,950.68. This trade represents a 8.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 526 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.35, for a total value of $171,134.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $319,819.05. This trade represents a 34.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,757 shares of company stock valued at $3,138,220. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded down $4.08 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $346.08. 1,337,508 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 818,069. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.00 and a 1-year high of $360.92. The company has a market capitalization of $39.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 1.39. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $335.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $293.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.05.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.99%.

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.