Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Purchased by Fisher Asset Management LLC

Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 579,012 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,074 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $179,772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 33,600.1% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 295,213 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $91,658,000 after acquiring an additional 294,337 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2,932.2% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 246,217 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $76,445,000 after purchasing an additional 238,097 shares during the period. Kodai Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $43,222,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $38,275,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 35.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 484,438 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $139,247,000 after buying an additional 127,303 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays lowered their target price on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 4th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $312.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.21.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock traded down $6.33 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $254.39. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 741,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 718,507. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.11. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $249.00 and a one year high of $348.52. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $269.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $282.65. The stock has a market cap of $29.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.37.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.05 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 34.83% and a net margin of 13.19%. Rockwell Automation’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.01 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 48.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.27, for a total value of $127,617.09. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,311,696. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.27, for a total value of $127,617.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,311,696. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 659 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.11, for a total value of $171,412.49. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,204,309.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,199 shares of company stock valued at $572,750 over the last three months. Company 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.