24,200 Shares in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Acquired by WIM INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Ltd

WIM INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Ltd acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 24,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,497,000. Rockwell Automation comprises approximately 2.7% of WIM INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Accredited Investors Inc. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 853 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 97.4% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 119,961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,205,000 after purchasing an additional 59,203 shares during the last quarter. Coastline Trust Co bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $134,000. Northcape Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,428 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,994,000 after acquiring an additional 1,127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,938 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,863,000 after acquiring an additional 851 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total transaction of $154,511.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,576 shares in the company, valued at $1,221,151.36. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on ROK shares. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $227.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $288.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.13.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $286.15 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $32.31 billion, a PE ratio of 34.56, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $312.76. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $269.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $266.84.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.64 EPS. Research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, September 5th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to purchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.39%.

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.