Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Acquired by Quilter Plc

Quilter Plc lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 5.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 351,350 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,463 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation comprises 1.9% of Quilter Plc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Quilter Plc owned about 0.31% of Rockwell Automation worth $90,782,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ROK. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,876,530 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,965,774,000 after acquiring an additional 81,079 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,115,280 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,033,476,000 after buying an additional 432,934 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,734,430 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $779,426,000 after acquiring an additional 51,228 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $580,095,000 after purchasing an additional 430,498 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,570,036 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $448,701,000 after buying an additional 13,744 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on ROK shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $327.00 to $371.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays upgraded Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $283.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $317.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 551 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 12,711 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,147,726.41. This represents a 4.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.01, for a total transaction of $147,505.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,838 shares of the company's stock, 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 90 days, insiders have sold 7,681 shares of company stock valued at $2,382,987. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $326.53 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $295.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $281.59. The stock has a market cap of $36.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 1.38. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.00 and a 12-month high of $328.90.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. Rockwell Automation's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.99%.

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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