NorthRock Partners LLC Takes $276,000 Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

NorthRock Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 966 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $276,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brookstone Capital Management raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 1,074 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 37.5% during the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,301 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $372,000 after buying an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,229 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $351,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 357.8% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 37,239 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,643,000 after buying an additional 29,105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,307 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,802,000 after buying an additional 626 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 939 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.24, for a total transaction of $285,681.36. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $299,067.92. The trade was a 48.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total transaction of $248,810.28. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,057 shares in the company, valued at approximately $300,219.71. This trade represents a 45.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 6,839 shares of company stock valued at $2,014,256 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ROK shares. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Cowen raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $275.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $283.00 to $327.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $310.37.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:ROK opened at $308.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $255.37 and a 200-day moving average of $275.07. The company has a market cap of $34.82 billion, a PE ratio of 38.47, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $215.00 and a one year high of $310.78.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

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

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.