Capital Fund Management S.A. Purchases 3,052 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Capital Fund Management S.A. increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 17.4% during the first quarter, acquiring additional shares worth approximately $5.31 million.
• Rockwell Automation reported a quarterly EPS of $2.82, surpassing analysts' estimates and showing a 4.5% year-over-year revenue increase, reaching $2.14 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.31, with an upcoming payment date of September 10th, reflecting a 1.5% yield based on an annualized payout.

Capital Fund Management S.A. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 17.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,550 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 3,052 shares during the quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $5,310,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 8.5% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,424 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,401,000 after buying an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.7% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $608,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.8% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,652 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $281,000. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 128.7% during the first quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 4,382 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 2,466 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded down $5.81 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $349.86. The company had a trading volume of 773,947 shares, compared to its average volume of 942,160. The stock has a market cap of $39.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $215.00 and a one year high of $360.92. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $342.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $299.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.07 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.14% and a net margin of 12.03%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors 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 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on ROK shares. Bank of America upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $360.00 to $410.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $392.00 target price (up previously from $371.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Monday, July 14th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $375.00 target price (up previously from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.16.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James P. Keane sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.06, for a total transaction of $1,068,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,272,903.52. This trade represents a 24.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 269 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.26, for a total value of $95,564.94. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $573,034.38. This represents a 14.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,818 shares of company stock worth $3,012,888 in the last three months. Corporate 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.