Groupama Asset Managment Invests $1.70 Million in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,948 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,699,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $284,177,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 85,513.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 675,487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $193,047,000 after purchasing an additional 674,698 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 102.3% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,287,731 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $368,021,000 after buying an additional 651,116 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $580,095,000 after buying an additional 430,498 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $56,887,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly 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 sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 in the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE ROK opened at $260.75 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $29.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $308.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $277.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $278.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the subject of several research reports. BNP Paribas cut shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp raised Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.42.

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.