V Square Quantitative Management LLC Buys 550 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,637 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 550 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $976,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $718,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.5% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,628 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $766,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 15.1% during the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 2,983 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $869,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares during the period. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 20,162 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,874,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 42.5% in the 1st quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 5,631 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,640,000 after purchasing an additional 1,679 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $272.82 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 1.36. The company’s 50-day moving average is $264.95 and its 200 day moving average is $267.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.04. 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.63. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.56% and a return on equity of 34.09%. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.01 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, September 5th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to purchase up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on ROK. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Monday, July 8th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $286.47.

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.