River Global Investors LLP Makes New $3.10 Million Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

River Global Investors LLP bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 10,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $3,104,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,752,223 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $786,778,000 after buying an additional 70,272 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 9.9% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,908,119 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $545,474,000 after buying an additional 172,577 shares during the period. UBS Group AG increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.3% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,518,807 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $434,181,000 after purchasing an additional 3,845 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.2% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,399,076 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $399,954,000 after purchasing an additional 43,992 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 900,626 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $279,626,000 after purchasing an additional 2,736 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE:ROK traded up $4.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $274.05. 996,030 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 859,440. The business has a 50-day moving average of $282.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $283.03. 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 12-month low of $252.11 and a 12-month high of $348.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.40 billion, a PE ratio of 26.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.46 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 47.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on ROK. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a 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 note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $310.08.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.52, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Rockwell Automation news, CFO Nicholas C. Gangestad sold 1,989 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.17, for a total transaction of $573,170.13. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 12,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,520,572.89. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 owns 4,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,229,519.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 17,240 shares of company stock valued at $4,891,324. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company 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.