Ninety One UK Ltd Has $21.30 Million Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Ninety One UK Ltd decreased its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 85.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 82,437 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 490,488 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd owned about 0.07% of Rockwell Automation worth $21,300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ROK. Citizens National Bank Trust Department acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

ROK traded up $5.21 during trading on Thursday, reaching $345.47. 153,517 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 862,808. The stock has a market cap of $38.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.49, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $313.55 and a 200 day moving average of $284.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $348.43.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 551 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.31, for a total value of $179,796.81. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 12,711 shares in the company, valued at $4,147,726.41. This represents a 4.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 289 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.33, for a total value of $94,309.37. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,196 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,042,950.68. This trade represents a 8.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,388 shares of company stock valued at $2,307,487. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $327.00 to $371.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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, Bank of America raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.00.

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.