MBB Public Markets I LLC Invests $302,000 in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired 1,170 shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter, valued at approximately $302,000, signaling growing interest in the industrial products company.
• Rockwell Automation reported an earnings per share of $2.82 for the quarter, beating consensus estimates, and saw a year-over-year revenue increase of 4.5%.
• Research analysts have positive outlooks for Rockwell Automation, with multiple firms raising their target prices and ratings, resulting in an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,170 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $302,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ROK. Citizens National Bank Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 59.6% in the first quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 166 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded down $5.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $344.97. 545,729 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 741,584. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.06. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.00 and a 52-week high of $360.92. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $345.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $304.01. The firm has a market cap of $38.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.49, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.41.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.71 EPS. Rockwell Automation's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 250 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $87,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $581,700. This trade represents a 13.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 269 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the vice president owned 1,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $573,034.38. This trade represents a 14.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 31,922 shares of company stock worth $11,191,812 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Rockwell Automation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. CICC Research began coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $381.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $371.00 to $363.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Bank of America raised Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $410.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.16.

Rockwell Automation Company 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.