Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires Shares of 126,733 Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 126,733 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $36,219,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.11% of Rockwell Automation at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $103,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Ascent Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 3,990 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,140,000 after buying an additional 470 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 10,570 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,021,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the period. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $220,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded up $2.42 during trading on Thursday, hitting $314.81. 845,396 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 877,036. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $316.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $35.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $264.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $277.21.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $310.37.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 939 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.24, for a total value of $285,681.36. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 983 shares in the company, valued at $299,067.92. This trade represents a 48.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total transaction of $248,810.28. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,057 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $300,219.71. The trade was a 45.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,839 shares of company stock worth $2,014,256. 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.