OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Takes $6.86 Million Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 24,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $6,859,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $879,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 834,622 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $238,525,000 after buying an additional 34,098 shares in the last quarter. Laurion Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $546,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $1,572,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 74.9% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 25,566 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,310,000 after purchasing an additional 10,947 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of ROK traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $307.69. 667,996 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 874,264. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $254.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $274.74. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $310.78. The company has a market cap of $34.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.32, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.50 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.70%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Rockwell Automation from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $201.00 to $271.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $283.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $308.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total transaction of $760,325.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $314,166.29. This represents a 70.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 939 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.24, for a total transaction of $285,681.36. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $299,067.92. The trade was a 48.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 6,839 shares of company stock valued at $2,014,256 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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.