Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Cuts Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. reduced its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 7.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 41,402 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,300 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $10,697,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at about $284,177,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 29,844.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 702,794 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $181,588,000 after buying an additional 700,447 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 85,513.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 675,487 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $193,047,000 after buying an additional 674,698 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 102.3% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,287,731 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $368,021,000 after buying an additional 651,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,115,280 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,033,476,000 after buying an additional 432,934 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK traded up $4.21 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $324.62. 89,294 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 940,852. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.59 billion, a PE ratio of 40.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $283.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $280.15. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.00 and a fifty-two week high of $328.90. 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 (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.50 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on ROK. Loop Capital raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays raised shares of Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $283.00 to $350.00 in a report on Friday, May 30th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price 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. One investment 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 a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $317.79.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 551 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.31, for a total value of $179,796.81. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 12,711 shares in the company, valued at $4,147,726.41. This trade represents a 4.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total transaction of $760,325.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $314,166.29. This represents a 70.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,681 shares of company stock worth $2,382,987 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.