Swiss National Bank Lowers Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Swiss National Bank lowered its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 320,500 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 17,900 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.28% of Rockwell Automation worth $91,596,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $580,095,000 after purchasing an additional 430,498 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 33.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,556,292 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $417,802,000 after acquiring an additional 390,784 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth about $56,887,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $32,532,000. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 27.9% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 408,336 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $116,682,000 after purchasing an additional 88,962 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $329,114.56. The trade was a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

ROK traded up $2.06 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $260.19. 774,176 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 825,451. The firm has a market cap of $29.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $242.81 and a one year high of $308.70. The stock's fifty day moving average is $281.24 and its 200 day moving average is $278.68.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Stephens raised shares of Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, KeyCorp raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $345.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $307.68.

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.