Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Raises Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 26.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,647 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,023 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $12,569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ROK. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $281,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Advisor OS LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $230,000. Nwam LLC increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 189.0% in the 4th quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 3,017 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $862,000 after purchasing an additional 1,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,660 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,046,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on ROK. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $327.00 to $371.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $283.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Friday, May 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $317.79.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK stock opened at $330.03 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.05 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 $331.27. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $297.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $281.74.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.50 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 65.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total transaction of $75,500.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,260.96. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.01, for a total value of $147,505.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $837,238.38. This trade represents a 14.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 7,681 shares of company stock valued at $2,382,987. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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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