Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Makes New $1.50 Million Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Lecap Asset Management Ltd. has made a new investment of approximately $1.50 million in Rockwell Automation by acquiring 4,513 shares during the second quarter.
• CEO Blake D. Moret recently sold 24,400 shares of Rockwell Automation stock for a total of $8.54 million, reducing his ownership by 22.54%.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds currently own 75.75% of Rockwell Automation's stock, indicating strong support from large financial entities.

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 4,513 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,499,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 720.8% during the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 399,309 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $132,638,000 after buying an additional 350,662 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter worth approximately $73,908,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter worth approximately $63,632,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 213.7% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 357,080 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $92,263,000 after acquiring an additional 243,249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1,950.4% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 202,788 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $67,360,000 after acquiring an additional 192,898 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 24,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.13, for a total value of $8,543,172.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 83,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,366,453.49. The trade was a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 269 shares of the business's 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $573,034.38. This trade represents a 14.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 31,922 shares of company stock valued at $11,191,812. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.0%

ROK stock opened at $349.41 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 has a fifty day moving average price of $344.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $310.42. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $215.00 and a one year high of $360.92. The stock has a market cap of $39.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.41.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ROK. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $392.00 price target (up from $371.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Monday, July 14th. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $381.00 price target for the company. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $371.00 to $363.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $360.00 to $410.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.16.

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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