Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Bought by Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 1.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 198,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 2,428 shares during the quarter. Rockwell Automation makes up about 2.6% of Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Rockwell Automation worth $54,726,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Bfsg LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the first quarter worth about $29,000. ESL Trust Services LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Security National Bank acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 659 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.11, for a total transaction of $171,412.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 4,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,204,309.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 528 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.78, for a total transaction of $133,995.84. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $943,554.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 659 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.11, for a total value of $171,412.49. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,204,309.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,732 shares of company stock valued at $445,133. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Monday, July 8th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $293.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $227.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $304.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $280.14.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded up $5.51 on Friday, hitting $272.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 962,045 shares, compared to its average volume of 935,076. The company has a market capitalization of $31.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.11. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $314.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $267.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $272.18.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.63. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 34.83%. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.01 EPS. Rockwell Automation’s revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.07 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.88%.

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.