Stephens Inc. AR Boosts Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Stephens Inc. AR raised its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,473 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 530 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $7,280,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of ROK stock opened at $268.27 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $285.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $274.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.32 billion, a PE ratio of 32.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $304.29.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.64 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued 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 1.95%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

Insider Activity

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 1,304 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $299.61, for a total value of $390,691.44. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $317,286.99. This represents a 55.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 279 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.13, for a total value of $82,620.27. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,891 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $856,111.83. This trade represents a 8.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 35,857 shares of company stock worth $10,678,037. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ROK shares. KeyCorp upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 price target for the company. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $304.16.

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.