PFG Investments LLC Takes Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

PFG Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,126 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $619,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ROK. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 33,600.1% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 295,213 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $91,658,000 after acquiring an additional 294,337 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2,932.2% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 246,217 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $76,445,000 after acquiring an additional 238,097 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 9.9% in the 3rd 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 acquiring an additional 172,577 shares during the period. Kodai Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,222,000. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,275,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total transaction of $167,448.19. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,337,482.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total transaction of $167,448.19. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,337,482.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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. Insiders have sold a total of 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772 over the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ROK shares. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. UBS Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $310.08.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of ROK traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $279.97. 529,910 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,012,732. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $252.11 and a fifty-two week high of $348.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The business has a 50-day moving average of $282.51 and a 200-day moving average of $283.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the company earned $2.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 EPS for the current 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 dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.57%.

Rockwell Automation Company 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.