PFG Investments LLC Takes $619,000 Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

PFG Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,126 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $619,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ROK. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 294,337 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 238,097 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 172,577 shares during the last quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $43,222,000. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,275,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho reduced 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 note on Thursday, February 1st. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 8th. UBS Group raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. 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 report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, February 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $310.08.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $691,070. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total value of $167,448.19. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,337,482.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $691,070. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $279.97. 529,910 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,012,732. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $282.51 and its 200 day moving average is $283.46. The stock has a market cap 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. 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 1-year low of $252.11 and a 1-year high of $348.52.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by ($0.58). The company had revenue of $2.05 billion for 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 in the prior year, the company posted $2.46 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $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 1.79%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 47.57%.

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.