Geode Capital Management LLC Acquires 51,228 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,734,430 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 51,228 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.42% of Rockwell Automation worth $779,426,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,775 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,079,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $542,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,199,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $329,114.56. The trade was a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $552,716.70. This represents a 20.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE ROK opened at $260.75 on Thursday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70. 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 stock has a market cap of $29.48 billion, a PE ratio of 32.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $277.15 and its 200 day moving average is $278.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BNP Paribas downgraded Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.42.

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.