Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Holdings Raised by Pinebridge Investments L.P.

Pinebridge Investments L.P. increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 45.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 154,799 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 48,413 shares during the quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $44,240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. West Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ROK shares. Citigroup dropped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Stephens upgraded Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $297.11.

Insider Activity

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total transaction of $75,500.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,260.96. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total transaction of $145,070.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $552,716.70. This represents a 20.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 3.2 %

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $234.20 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $260.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $274.86. The firm has a market cap of $26.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.00 and a fifty-two week high of $308.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

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.