Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Purchased by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 34,356 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $9,819,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ROK. West Oak Capital LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in 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 period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% during the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total transaction of $145,070.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,905 shares in the company, valued at $552,716.70. This represents a 20.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, 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 90 days, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $280.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of 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. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, HSBC raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.42.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK stock opened at $258.22 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. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $278.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $278.91. The firm has a market cap of $29.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.16, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $242.81 and a 1 year high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 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.