Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Holdings Boosted by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 346,945 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,761 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $107,719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ROK. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 33,600.1% during 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 buying an additional 294,337 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 9.9% during 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 buying an additional 172,577 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,275,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 35.6% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 484,438 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $139,247,000 after purchasing an additional 127,303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1,294.7% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 127,891 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,560,000 after purchasing an additional 118,721 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.59, for a total transaction of $43,138.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $344,820.41. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO Blake D. Moret bought 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,901,262.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $287.59, for a total transaction of $43,138.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,199 shares in the company, valued at $344,820.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Rockwell Automation stock traded up $1.37 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $276.93. 910,927 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,023,522. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.43. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $252.11 and a 12 month high of $348.52. The business’s 50-day moving average is $282.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $283.89.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). The firm 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 posted $2.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.81%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 47.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ROK. UBS Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Citigroup decreased their price objective 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. Berenberg Bank restated a “hold” rating and set a $290.00 price target (down from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $310.08.

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.