GSA Capital Partners LLP Takes $912,000 Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 3,397 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $912,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ROK. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $227.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $286.13.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total transaction of $154,511.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,221,151.36. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

ROK traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $286.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,110,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 845,022. The company's 50-day moving average is $269.16 and its 200-day moving average is $266.84. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $312.76. The firm has a market cap of $32.31 billion, a PE ratio of 34.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The company's revenue was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.64 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.54 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $1.31 dividend. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.39%.

Rockwell Automation announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, September 5th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to reacquire up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.