Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $75.94 Million Stock Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB reduced its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 18.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 244,601 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 55,048 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned about 0.21% of Rockwell Automation worth $75,944,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the second quarter valued at $29,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on ROK shares. Citigroup cut their target price on Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Berenberg Bank reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $290.00 target price (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Barclays cut their target price on Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $310.08.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

ROK traded down $3.54 during trading on Friday, reaching $269.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,196,641 shares, compared to its average volume of 838,069. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $252.11 and a 52-week high of $348.52. The company's fifty day moving average price is $282.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $284.13. The company has a market capitalization of $30.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.25.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is currently 47.57%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $691,070. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Rockwell Automation 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 value of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $691,070. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Nicholas C. Gangestad sold 1,989 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.17, for a total value of $573,170.13. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 12,217 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,520,572.89. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.