BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Purchases 6,673 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 4.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 154,687 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,673 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $41,528,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $288.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $286.13.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total transaction of $132,660.69. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,363,536. This represents a 8.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total transaction of $154,511.94. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,221,151.36. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $278.13 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $242.81 and a 1 year high of $312.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $270.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $267.11. The firm has a market cap of $31.40 billion, a PE ratio of 33.59, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.64 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 1.88%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.29%.

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

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.