Machina Capital S.A.S. Acquires New Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,432 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $445,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.7% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 78,754 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,513,000 after acquiring an additional 519 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 11.8% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 36,383 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,401,000 after purchasing an additional 3,846 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 60,438 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $17,277,000 after purchasing an additional 6,064 shares during the period. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Crescent Grove Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth approximately $334,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $254.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Oppenheimer dropped their price target 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. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Barclays reduced their target price on Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $310.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly 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 available at the SEC website. In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was 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 owns 2,383 shares in the company, valued at $691,070. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Robert L. Buttermore sold 201 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.50, for a total value of $55,777.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,311 shares in the company, valued at $641,302.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,240 shares of company stock valued at $4,891,324 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:ROK traded up $3.44 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $277.50. 995,526 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,004,148. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $252.11 and a fifty-two week high of $348.52. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $282.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $283.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.40, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.43.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

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 given 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 dividend yield of 1.80%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 47.57%.

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.