Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Bought by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 900,626 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,736 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned about 0.79% of Rockwell Automation worth $279,626,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. UBS Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $310.08.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE ROK traded up $1.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $285.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,369,235 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,035,772. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $282.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $284.42. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $252.11 and a twelve month high of $348.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.14, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.62 by ($0.58). Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.46 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 12.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.57%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at $691,070. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $691,070. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Nicholas C. Gangestad sold 1,989 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.17, for a total value of $573,170.13. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 12,217 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,520,572.89. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation 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.