Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Bought by J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 128.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,382 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,466 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,132,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,775 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,079,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its position 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 valued at $1,199,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted 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 valued at $1,462,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 7,708 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,992,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mendel Money Management lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 2,721 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $778,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE ROK traded up $1.86 during trading on Friday, hitting $358.87. 642,538 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 782,185. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.00 and a 12-month high of $360.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.05. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $329.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $289.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.45 billion, a PE ratio of 45.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.38.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 65.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. TD Cowen upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup restated 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. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $304.00 to $371.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $360.00 to $410.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $341.11.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 transaction of $96,914.07. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,691 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $551,790.21. This trade represents a 14.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 289 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.33, for a total value of $94,309.37. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,196 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,042,950.68. The trade was a 8.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,757 shares of company stock worth $3,138,220. 0.68% of the stock is currently 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.