Allianz SE Takes $1.64 Million Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Allianz SE acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 5,733 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,638,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $284,177,000. Amundi raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $580,095,000 after purchasing an additional 430,498 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth about $56,887,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $32,532,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 514,690 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $147,093,000 after buying an additional 106,257 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $258.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $29.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month high of $308.70. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $278.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $278.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on ROK shares. Stephens raised shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $329,114.56. This represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 over the last three months. Company 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.