Mizuho Securities USA LLC Boosts Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 45.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 3,342 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $3,058,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ROK. West Oak Capital LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. HSBC upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. KeyCorp upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.68.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total value of $248,810.28. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,057 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $300,219.71. This represents a 45.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK opened at $258.67 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $242.81 and a 52-week high of $308.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.25 billion, a PE ratio of 32.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $280.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $278.59.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted 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 return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

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.