Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Acquired by New England Research & Management Inc.

New England Research & Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 98.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,050 shares during the period. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $616,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ROK. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 33,600.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 294,337 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 2,932.2% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 246,217 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $76,445,000 after purchasing an additional 238,097 shares in the last quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $43,222,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,275,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1,294.7% in the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 127,891 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,560,000 after purchasing an additional 118,721 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Berenberg Bank reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 target price (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $290.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $312.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $305.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.27, for a total transaction of $127,617.09. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,696. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 659 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.11, for a total transaction of $171,412.49. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,204,309.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.27, for a total value of $127,617.09. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,311,696. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,199 shares of company stock valued at $572,750 in the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $275.28 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.91, a PEG ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 1.37. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $249.00 and a 1-year high of $348.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $266.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $281.60.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.05 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 34.83%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.01 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 48.88%.

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.