Federated Hermes Inc. Acquires 14,504 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 17.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 96,113 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,504 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $29,841,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Citigroup reduced their price target on Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $254.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, March 21st. UBS Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank restated 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $310.08.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 1.3 %

NYSE:ROK opened at $269.96 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $282.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $284.17. The company has a market capitalization of $30.93 billion, a PE ratio of 25.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.43. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $252.11 and a 1-year high of $348.52.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by ($0.58). Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares in the company, valued at $691,070. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,383 shares in the company, valued at $691,070. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total transaction of $167,448.19. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,337,482.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation 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.