Kwmg LLC Acquires 255 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Kwmg LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 20,875 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Kwmg LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $5,966,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Bar Harbor Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 2,229.4% in the fourth quarter. Bar Harbor Wealth Management now owns 33,008 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,433,000 after acquiring an additional 31,591 shares in the last quarter. Enterprise Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $206,000. Talbot Financial LLC grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Talbot Financial LLC now owns 26,342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,528,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $773,000. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 1,074 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $307,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK stock traded up $2.32 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $275.72. 473,280 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 567,750. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $287.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.97. The company has a market cap of $31.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.36. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $242.81 and a 12-month high of $307.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The company’s revenue was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.64 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is presently 63.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on ROK. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Bank of America boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $313.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $300.89.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total value of $132,660.69. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at $1,363,536. The trade was a 8.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total transaction of $7,973,421.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their position. 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 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.