Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Acquired by Empirical Finance LLC

Empirical Finance LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROKFree Report) by 2.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,968 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,065,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Vectors Research Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC now owns 6,526 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,750,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 12.9% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 19,104 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,129,000 after purchasing an additional 2,189 shares in the last quarter. Broderick Brian C increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.3% in the third quarter. Broderick Brian C now owns 43,523 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,684,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 4.8% during the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,213 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $863,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 9,766 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,622,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,221,151.36. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group began coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $286.13.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on ROK

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $286.15 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $312.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $269.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $266.84. The company has a market cap of $32.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.56, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROKGet Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.64 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, September 5th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to buy up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 60.39%.

Rockwell Automation Profile

(Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK)

Receive News & Ratings for Rockwell Automation Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rockwell Automation and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.