Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Increases Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 90.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 255 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $79,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE ROK opened at $269.96 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.93 billion, a PE ratio of 25.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $252.11 and a 52 week high of $348.52. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $282.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $284.17.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at $21,901,262.60. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total value of $167,448.19. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,088 shares in the company, valued at $1,337,482.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,901,262.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their price target 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. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $254.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. 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, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $310.08.

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.