Cohen & Steers Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Cohen & Steers Inc. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 17.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,174 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 178 shares during the quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. West Oak Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.2 %

ROK stock opened at $232.97 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $308.70. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $266.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $276.11. 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 (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $248.00 to $201.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $297.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was 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 directly owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $490,242.93. This trade represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction 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 owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This represents a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.