Davis R M Inc. Raises Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Davis R M Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 86,988 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,520 shares during the quarter. Davis R M Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of Rockwell Automation worth $24,860,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,648,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,247,839,000 after buying an additional 11,949 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,683,202 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $717,865,000 after buying an additional 14,040 shares during the period. Amundi grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $580,095,000 after buying an additional 430,498 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,570,036 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $448,701,000 after buying an additional 13,744 shares during the period. Finally, Accredited Investors Inc. grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 162,058.5% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 1,185,379 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $318,227,000 after buying an additional 1,184,648 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. This trade represents a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.68.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

ROK opened at $270.76 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $30.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.72, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company’s 50 day moving average is $283.95 and its 200 day moving average is $278.97. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $242.81 and a 12-month high of $308.70.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.26%.

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.