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

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 97.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 119,961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 59,203 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $32,205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ROK. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the second quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the second quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:ROK opened at $286.15 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $269.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $266.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market cap 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 fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $312.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. This is a positive change from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.39%.

Rockwell Automation declared 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 typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ROK shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Bank of America lifted 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. Barclays upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $288.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 target price for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $286.13.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the firm’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,221,151.36. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.