Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 12.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 23,897 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 2,707 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $6,830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ROK. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 5.7% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,486 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $667,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,611,000. Catalytic Wealth RIA LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $559,000. Finally, Versor Investments LP purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at $409,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE ROK opened at $265.53 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $283.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $278.93. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $308.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.07, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced 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 net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. HSBC upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.68.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.