Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Purchased by Vident Advisory LLC

Key Points

• Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 52.2%, owning 6,824 shares worth approximately $1.76 million after acquiring additional shares in the first quarter.
• Rockwell Automation reported an EPS of $2.82 for the recent quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.67, and achieved a revenue of $2.14 billion, up 4.5% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.31 per share, with a dividend yield of 1.5% and a payout ratio of 61.50%, to be paid on September 10th.

Vident Advisory LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 52.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,824 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,340 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,763,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Citizens National Bank Trust Department acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth $26,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth $31,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 59.6% during the first quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 166 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $343.80 on Tuesday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.00 and a 52-week high of $360.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.35, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $344.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $301.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 1.5%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.50%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, Director James P. Keane sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.06, for a total value of $1,068,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 9,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,272,903.52. This represents a 24.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 269 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.26, for a total transaction of $95,564.94. Following the completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,145 shares of company stock valued at $2,801,114 in the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $371.00 to $363.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $375.00 target price (up previously from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.16.

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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