Talbot Financial LLC Acquires 533 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Talbot Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the quarter. Talbot Financial LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $7,528,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 20.7% in the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 122,252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,653,000 after purchasing an additional 20,994 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.5% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 14,560 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,008,000 after acquiring an additional 1,013 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 24.2% during the second quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,669 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $735,000 after buying an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 10.1% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 116,836 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,163,000 after purchasing an additional 10,701 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 4.2% in the second quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 2,259 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.5 %

ROK stock traded up $1.34 during trading on Monday, reaching $274.74. 307,283 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 551,830. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $307.71. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $287.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.97. The company has a market capitalization of $31.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 63.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $313.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $300.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,089,000. This represents a 21.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total value of $7,973,421.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 78,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,541 shares of company stock valued at $10,586,674 in the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.