Natixis Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 40.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 168,133 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 48,172 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.15% of Rockwell Automation worth $48,051,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

ROK opened at $260.09 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.41 billion, a PE ratio of 32.39, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month high of $308.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $282.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $278.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is presently 65.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.68.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298 in the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by 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.