Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Purchased by IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd raised its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $4,287,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. West Oak Capital LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $269.06 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $308.70. The company has a market capitalization of $30.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.51, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $279.76 and a 200-day moving average of $278.72.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ROK. Stephens upgraded Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. 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 research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” 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 given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.42.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the business’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 approximately $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.