DnB Asset Management AS Purchases 17,336 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

DnB Asset Management AS increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 56.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 48,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 17,336 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $13,775,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,876,530 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,965,774,000 after purchasing an additional 81,079 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,648,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,247,839,000 after buying an additional 11,949 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,683,202 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $717,865,000 after buying an additional 14,040 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $580,095,000 after acquiring an additional 430,498 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,570,036 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $448,701,000 after acquiring an additional 13,744 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. KeyCorp upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Barclays decreased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $280.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.42.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $552,716.70. This represents a 20.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $258.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $278.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $278.76. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $308.70. The firm has a market cap of $29.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. Analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.26%.

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.