Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $7 Million Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. trimmed its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 11.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,546 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,831 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $7,000,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Imprint Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 32,845.0% in the second quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC now owns 1,254,546 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $125,455,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250,738 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 87,404.1% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,236,433 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $318,468,000 after purchasing an additional 1,235,020 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $215,125,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,741,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $706,004,000 after purchasing an additional 457,383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 13.8% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,638,992 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $774,411,000 after purchasing an additional 320,524 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 1.8 %

ROK opened at $273.50 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $252.11 and a fifty-two week high of $348.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $283.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $284.27. The company has a market capitalization of $31.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by ($0.58). The business had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.46 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 12.03 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is presently 47.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at $21,901,262.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at $21,901,262.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.52, for a total value of $140,260.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,229,519.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $290.00 price target (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $310.08.

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.