UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Has $303.04 Million Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,128,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 67,684 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.99% of Rockwell Automation worth $303,041,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.1% in the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,680 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,363,000 after buying an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 336.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 27,307 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,956,000 after acquiring an additional 21,051 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 30.3% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 7,122 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,075,000 after purchasing an additional 1,658 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 19.9% in the 1st quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 10,047 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,665 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on ROK shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $227.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 12th. Bank of America raised their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 target price on the stock. 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $287.13.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total value 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 approximately $1,221,151.36. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total value of $7,973,421.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,327,482.45. The trade was a 25.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,746 shares of company stock worth $9,152,594. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $295.14 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $33.32 billion, a PE ratio of 35.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50 day moving average of $274.63 and a 200-day moving average of $268.05. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $312.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.64 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 63.29%.

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

About Rockwell Automation

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.