Lansdowne Partners UK LLP Buys 9,598 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Lansdowne Partners UK LLP increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 156.6%, acquiring an additional 9,598 shares, bringing its total to 15,727 shares valued at approximately $4.06 million.
• Rockwell Automation reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.82, exceeding expectations, with a total revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, up 4.5% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.31 per share, with a yield of 1.5%, set to be paid on September 10th to shareholders of record on August 18th.

Lansdowne Partners UK LLP boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 156.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,727 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,598 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation comprises about 0.6% of Lansdowne Partners UK LLP's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Lansdowne Partners UK LLP's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $4,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $281,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the fourth 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. MML Investors Services LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 17.2% during the fourth quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 6,394 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,827,000 after buying an additional 939 shares during the period. MGO One Seven LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $301,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 95,242 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,219,000 after buying an additional 16,090 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ROK. Wells Fargo & Company set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $360.00 to $410.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Monday, July 7th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $381.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $375.00 price objective (up from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.16.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 1.8%

ROK opened at $349.20 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company's 50-day moving average is $342.93 and its 200 day moving average is $300.16. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.00 and a fifty-two week high of $360.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.99, a PEG ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.39.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is currently 61.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 269 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.26, for a total value of $95,564.94. Following the sale, the vice president owned 1,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $573,034.38. The trade was a 14.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 289 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.33, for a total transaction of $94,309.37. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,042,950.68. This represents a 8.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,368 shares of company stock valued at $2,871,129. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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.

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