Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Purchased by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 97.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 59,203 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Rockwell Automation worth $32,205,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $134,000. Northcape Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 17.9% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 14.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,938 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,863,000 after acquiring an additional 851 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 3,968 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,065,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vectors Research Management LLC boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 2.1% in the third quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC now owns 6,526 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,750,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:ROK opened at $286.15 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $269.16 and a 200-day moving average of $266.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.31 billion, a PE ratio of 34.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.36. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $312.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The firm’s revenue was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.64 EPS. Analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.54 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, September 5th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total transaction of $154,511.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,221,151.36. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $288.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.13.

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.