Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Purchases 20,761 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 346,945 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,761 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned approximately 0.30% of Rockwell Automation worth $107,719,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 17.8% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,255 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $359,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 12.2% in the third quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,955 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $559,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 242.0% in the third quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,704 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,059,000 after buying an additional 2,621 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,012 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $861,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 89.2% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,566 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,210 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on ROK shares. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $290.00 price objective (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. UBS Group raised Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. 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.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $310.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.52, for a total value of $140,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,383 shares in the company, valued at $1,229,519.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.52, for a total value of $140,260.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,229,519.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Nicholas C. Gangestad sold 1,989 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.17, for a total value of $573,170.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 12,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,520,572.89. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,877 shares of company stock worth $5,058,772. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.5 %

Rockwell Automation stock traded up $1.37 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $276.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 910,927 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,023,522. The company has a 50 day moving average of $282.59 and a 200-day moving average of $283.89. The stock has a market cap of $31.73 billion, a PE ratio of 26.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 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, Inc. has a one year low of $252.11 and a one year high of $348.52.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.57%.

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.

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