Howard Capital Management Inc. Takes Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Howard Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 743 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

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

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $288.58 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $286.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $278.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $242.81 and a one year high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. Analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid 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 1.82%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.26%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total transaction of $83,967.12. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $961,695.36. The trade was a 8.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 1,304 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 1,059 shares in the company, 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 6,540 shares of company stock valued at $1,935,134 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ROK shares. BNP Paribas cut Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.55.

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.