Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Increases Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,953 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $31,108,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ROK. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $274.05 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $282.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $283.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.25. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $252.11 and a 1 year high of $348.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.40 billion, a PE ratio of 26.08, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.46 EPS. On average, analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 47.57%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $691,070. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Robert L. Buttermore sold 201 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.50, for a total transaction of $55,777.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $641,302.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $691,070. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 17,240 shares of company stock valued at $4,891,324 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $310.08.

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.