Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Trims Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise reduced its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 83.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 872 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,507 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Accredited Investors Inc. raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 162,058.5% during the third quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 1,185,379 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $318,227,000 after buying an additional 1,184,648 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 29,591.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 936,178 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $251,326,000 after acquiring an additional 933,025 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1,119.3% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 763,351 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $210,135,000 after purchasing an additional 700,745 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter worth approximately $118,345,000. Finally, Electron Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 484.5% in the second quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 412,371 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $104,779,000 after purchasing an additional 341,814 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 4.5 %

Shares of ROK traded up $12.56 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $290.86. 1,842,415 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 982,173. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.12, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.36. The business's 50-day moving average price is $271.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $267.20. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $242.81 and a 1 year high of $312.76.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.64 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 63.29%.

Rockwell Automation declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, September 5th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. Barclays raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $227.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $345.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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 that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total value of $154,511.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,221,151.36. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total transaction of $132,660.69. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,363,536. This represents a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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.