Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK – Free Report) by 48.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,303 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,563,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 7.1% during the third quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 61,834 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,613,000 after purchasing an additional 4,086 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at $1,556,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 180.5% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,842 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,042,000 after purchasing an additional 3,759 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 744,814 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $291,073,000 after purchasing an additional 127,733 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maridea Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 580.0% during the fourth quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,522 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,148,000 after purchasing an additional 4,710 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.
Rockwell Automation Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $407.59 on Thursday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $239.14 and a fifty-two week high of $438.72. The business has a 50-day moving average of $382.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $386.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.80.
Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 63.16%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $410.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $425.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $450.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $406.67.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $480,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,774,800. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 1,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.50, for a total value of $484,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $671,925. This represents a 41.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 51,375 shares of company stock valued at $20,828,717. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Rockwell Automation Profile
Rockwell Automation is a global industrial automation and digital transformation company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm designs, manufactures and supports control systems, industrial control hardware and software, and related services that help manufacturers and industrial operators automate processes, improve productivity and enable data-driven decision making. Rockwell traces its heritage to the Allen-Bradley and Rockwell automation businesses and positions itself as a provider of integrated automation solutions across discrete and process industries.
The company’s product portfolio includes programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), variable frequency drives, sensors, safety components and other industrial control hardware, often marketed under the Allen-Bradley brand.
Further Reading
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ROK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Rockwell Automation Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rockwell Automation and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
