Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Acquired by Private Advisor Group LLC

Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 9,843 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $2,813,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE ROK opened at $292.40 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $286.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $277.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $33.06 billion, a PE ratio of 36.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,741 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.67, for a total value of $516,502.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 80,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,825,271.03. The trade was a 2.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 1,304 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $299.61, for a total value of $390,691.44. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $317,286.99. This trade represents a 55.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 6,540 shares of company stock valued at $1,935,134 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas cut shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. HSBC raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $308.05.

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.