Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. Acquires Shares of 976 Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 976 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $279,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth about $89,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,775 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,079,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. First American Trust FSB grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 50.9% during the fourth quarter. First American Trust FSB now owns 23,877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,824,000 after acquiring an additional 8,054 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 6,054 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,730,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EFG Asset Management North America Corp. lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 9,737 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,784,000 after acquiring an additional 821 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the company’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 value of $351,364.33. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $552,716.70. This trade represents a 20.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $258.22 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $278.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $278.64. The company has a market cap of $29.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.16, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $242.81 and a one year high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted 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, research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ROK. Loop Capital raised their price objective 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. HSBC upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock 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 raised their target price for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Three investment 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 MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.42.

Rockwell Automation 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.