Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Has $200.41 Million Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 645,485 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,070 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.56% of Rockwell Automation worth $200,410,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth about $493,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 74.0% during the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,413 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $404,000 after buying an additional 601 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,976,000. ING Groep NV acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,807,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 840.4% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 884 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 790 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.52, for a total value of $140,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,383 shares in the company, valued at $1,229,519.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.59, for a total transaction of $43,138.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $344,820.41. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.52, for a total value of $140,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,229,519.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,240 shares of company stock worth $4,891,324. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on ROK shares. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $312.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $290.00 target price (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.93.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $270.50 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $31.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.43. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $281.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $283.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $252.11 and a 12 month high of $348.52.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.35. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. The business had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.01 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 47.57%.

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.