BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $40.07 Million Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 4.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 149,243 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,844 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.13% of Rockwell Automation worth $40,066,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total value of $7,973,421.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 78,115 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $300,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,089,000. This represents a 21.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 28,746 shares of company stock valued at $8,560,594. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded up $0.19 during trading on Friday, hitting $295.14. The stock had a trading volume of 395,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 893,438. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $312.76. 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 company has a market capitalization of $33.32 billion, a PE ratio of 35.62, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.36. The firm's fifty day moving average is $273.95 and its 200 day moving average is $267.86.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ROK shares. BNP Paribas began coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $345.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $313.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $287.13.

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.