Westfield Capital Management Co. LP Boosts Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 311,454 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,130 shares during the quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP owned 0.27% of Rockwell Automation worth $96,700,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. KLCM Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 1,136 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $380,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 676.7% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 32,156 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,984,000 after acquiring an additional 28,016 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 11,423 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,266,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC now owns 85,551 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,562,000 after acquiring an additional 4,093 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $312.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $254.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Barclays dropped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 price objective (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.93.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $287.59, for a total transaction of $43,138.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $344,820.41. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $287.59, for a total value of $43,138.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $344,820.41. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $691,070. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,006 shares of company stock valued at $4,822,904 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded up $2.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $264.18. The stock had a trading volume of 592,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 945,961. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $252.11 and a 12 month high of $348.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $30.12 billion, a PE ratio of 25.82, a PEG ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $277.54 and its 200 day moving average is $283.65.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.35. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 34.83% and a net margin of 13.19%. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.01 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.88%.

Rockwell Automation 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.