Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lessened its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 359,100 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 10,500 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.31% of Rockwell Automation worth $111,493,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. KLCM Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 1,136 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,728 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $780,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 676.7% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 32,156 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $9,984,000 after acquiring an additional 28,016 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 11,423 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,266,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC now owns 85,551 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,562,000 after acquiring an additional 4,093 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret purchased 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,901,262.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 4,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,229,519.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret bought 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,215 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,901,262.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 17,240 shares of company stock valued at $4,891,324. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.5 %

Rockwell Automation stock traded up $4.01 during trading on Friday, reaching $274.05. 996,030 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 859,440. The company's 50-day moving average is $282.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $283.03. The firm has a market cap of $31.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.08, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.43. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $252.11 and a 52-week high of $348.52. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.46 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 47.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an "underweight" rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 8th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $310.08.

About Rockwell Automation

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.