Vectors Research Management LLC Grows Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Vectors Research Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,540,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,775 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,079,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $542,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,199,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 41.0% during the 4th 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. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 363 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.32, for a total transaction of $118,454.16. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,063 shares in the company, valued at $1,325,838.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 223 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.97, for a total transaction of $70,015.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,007,529.73. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,681 shares of company stock valued at $2,382,987 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $327.00 to $371.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $360.00 price objective (up previously from $345.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Friday, June 13th. Loop Capital raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. BNP Paribas upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $283.00 to $350.00 in a report on Friday, May 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.79.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK stock opened at $323.85 on Tuesday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $328.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.50 billion, a PE ratio of 40.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $290.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $280.80.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.16% and a net margin of 11.38%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.50 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.99%.

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.