AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Buys New Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 40,113 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,470,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ROK. Accredited Investors Inc. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 162,058.5% during the 3rd quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 1,185,379 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $318,227,000 after buying an additional 1,184,648 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 29,591.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 936,178 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $251,326,000 after purchasing an additional 933,025 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 33.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,556,292 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $417,802,000 after purchasing an additional 390,784 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 197.5% in the 2nd quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 386,425 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $106,375,000 after acquiring an additional 256,553 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.4% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,128,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $303,041,000 after purchasing an additional 67,684 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total value of $83,967.12. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,184 shares in the company, valued at $961,695.36. The trade was a 8.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total value of $7,973,421.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 78,115 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 36,436 shares of company stock worth $10,832,549. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $288.08 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $242.81 and a one year high of $307.71. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $288.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $275.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.79, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.64 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.31 dividend. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Stephens upgraded Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $304.16.

Rockwell Automation 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.