Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Takes $1.36 Million Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 4,757 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,360,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 95.8% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $667,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 99.1% in the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,187 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,482,000 after acquiring an additional 2,582 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 34,209 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $9,184,000 after acquiring an additional 1,928 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 462,537 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $132,554,000 after purchasing an additional 25,882 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 789 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, 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 value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares of the company's stock, valued at $490,242.93. This trade represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK stock traded up $4.73 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $272.69. The company had a trading volume of 1,020,308 shares, compared to its average volume of 818,467. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $30.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.96, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The firm's fifty day moving average is $279.98 and its 200 day moving average is $278.67.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (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 predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

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 1.92%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ROK shares. KeyCorp raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $345.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Loop Capital raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. HSBC raised Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $355.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $307.68.

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.