TimesSquare Capital Management LLC Acquires 16,775 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

TimesSquare Capital Management LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 9.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 194,575 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,775 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC owned about 0.17% of Rockwell Automation worth $55,608,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,083,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 9,691 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,770,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ROK. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. HSBC raised Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $355.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas lowered Rockwell Automation from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $308.05.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK traded down $8.23 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $294.95. 1,113,483 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 858,529. 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 fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $308.70. The company has a market cap of $33.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.35. The firm's fifty day moving average is $286.35 and its 200 day moving average is $276.84.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total value of $83,967.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,184 shares in the company, valued at approximately $961,695.36. This trade represents a 8.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The shares were 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 owns 1,198 shares of the company's stock, valued at $329,114.56. This represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 36,240 shares of company stock worth $10,800,555. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.