Isthmus Partners LLC Grows Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,747 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the quarter. Rockwell Automation accounts for about 1.5% of Isthmus Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Isthmus Partners LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $11,931,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 95.8% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $667,000 after buying an additional 1,141 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 99.1% during the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,482,000 after acquiring an additional 2,582 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth about $912,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 34,209 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,184,000 after purchasing an additional 1,928 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 462,537 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $132,554,000 after purchasing an additional 25,882 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total transaction of $145,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $552,716.70. This represents a 20.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $490,242.93. This represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $276.55 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month high of $308.70. 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 50 day moving average of $284.25 and a 200 day moving average of $278.91.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas cut shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $308.47.

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.