Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Stake Increased by First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 4.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,549 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,034,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ROK. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 33,600.1% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 295,213 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $91,658,000 after acquiring an additional 294,337 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2,932.2% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 246,217 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $76,445,000 after purchasing an additional 238,097 shares during the last quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $43,222,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,275,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 27.0% in the 4th quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 420,099 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $129,247,000 after buying an additional 89,207 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $266.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $30.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.04, a PEG ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $249.00 and a 12 month high of $348.52. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $265.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $280.75.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.05 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 34.83%. The business’s revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.01 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 248 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.37, for a total value of $63,579.76. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,088,547.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.27, for a total value of $127,617.09. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,696. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 248 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.37, for a total transaction of $63,579.76. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,088,547.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,199 shares of company stock worth $572,750. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 4th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $312.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $305.08.

About Rockwell Automation

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.