Janus Henderson Group PLC Purchases 10,947 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 74.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,566 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,947 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $7,310,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 41.0% during the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK stock traded down $6.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $301.64. 713,095 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 875,777. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.00 and a 12 month high of $310.78. The company has a market cap of $34.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.56, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. The company's 50 day moving average price is $257.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $275.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.50 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.99%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 939 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.24, for a total value of $285,681.36. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $299,067.92. The trade was a 48.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This represents a 25.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 6,839 shares of company stock valued at $2,014,256. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $283.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $310.37.

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.