Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Raises Stock Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 26.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 514,690 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 106,257 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $147,093,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its position in 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 last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE:ROK opened at $261.88 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $281.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $278.78. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The firm has a market cap of $29.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. On average, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.26%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 1,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $552,716.70. This trade represents a 20.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $490,242.93. This trade represents a 34.23 % 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. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on ROK. BNP Paribas downgraded Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. 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 report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.68.

About Rockwell Automation

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.