Fisher Asset Management LLC Purchases 19,912 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 689,929 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 19,912 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $197,175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.1 %

ROK stock opened at $287.51 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $286.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $278.47. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $308.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a market cap of $32.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. On average, research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on ROK. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens upgraded Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.55.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total value of $83,967.12. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,184 shares in the company, valued at $961,695.36. This trade represents a 8.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,741 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.67, for a total value of $516,502.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 80,309 shares in the company, valued at $23,825,271.03. This represents a 2.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,540 shares of company stock worth $1,935,134 over the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.