Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Position Increased by Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC

Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 166,890 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,458 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation makes up about 2.5% of Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $47,695,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ROK. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 95.8% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $667,000 after acquiring an additional 1,141 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 99.1% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,482,000 after buying an additional 2,582 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 357.8% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 37,239 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,643,000 after buying an additional 29,105 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 181.6% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $562,000 after buying an additional 1,351 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marathon Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $429,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

ROK opened at $308.89 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.00 and a 12-month high of $310.78. The business has a 50 day moving average of $255.37 and a 200-day moving average of $275.13. The stock has a market cap of $34.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.47, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.99%.

Insider Activity

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 939 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.24, for a total value of $285,681.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $299,067.92. This represents a 48.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,839 shares of company stock worth $2,014,256. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. KeyCorp raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $310.37.

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.