Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Raises Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 23,781 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $6,793,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. West Oak Capital LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. 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 report on Monday, December 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. HSBC raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.68.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $329,114.56. The trade was a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $260.09 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $282.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $278.70. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $242.81 and a 12-month high of $308.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $29.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.39, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given 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 2.01%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio 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.