National Bank of Canada FI Boosts Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 85.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 34,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,756 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $10,458,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.52, for a total value of $140,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,229,519.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.52, for a total transaction of $140,260.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,383 shares in the company, valued at $1,229,519.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Robert L. Buttermore sold 201 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.50, for a total transaction of $55,777.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $641,302.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 17,240 shares of company stock worth $4,891,324 in the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $273.54 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $252.11 and a twelve month high of $348.52. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $281.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $283.11. The company has a market cap of $31.34 billion, a PE ratio of 26.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.05 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.01 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ROK. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup lowered their price target on Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 price objective (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Barclays cut their price target on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.93.

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.