Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Bought by Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 43.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,913 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 878 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $833,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth about $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ROK shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group began coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 price target for the company. BNP Paribas downgraded Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, HSBC raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.55.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 1,304 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $299.61, for a total value of $390,691.44. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $317,286.99. This represents a 55.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 279 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.13, for a total value of $82,620.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,891 shares in the company, valued at approximately $856,111.83. This trade represents a 8.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,147 shares of company stock valued at $2,680,378. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE ROK opened at $267.88 on Wednesday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $308.70. The firm has a market cap of $30.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $285.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $278.73. 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 (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS 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, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 65.26%.

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.