Axa S.A. Buys 13,834 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Axa S.A. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 579.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,221 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,834 shares during the quarter. Axa S.A.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $4,636,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. West Oak Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $252.96 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $251.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.00 and a 12 month high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

Insider Activity

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total transaction of $75,500.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,260.96. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923 over the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on ROK. Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $297.11.

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.