Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Stake Increased by Cabot Wealth Management Inc.

Cabot Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 47,831 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,022 shares during the quarter. Rockwell Automation comprises approximately 1.7% of Cabot Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Cabot Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $13,670,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 89.8% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 744 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 22,646 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,080,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,577 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 16.5% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 367 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 33.2% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,641 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 1,157 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. This represents a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $329,114.56. This represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 36,240 shares of company stock worth $10,800,555 in the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ROK. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. HSBC upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $308.05.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE ROK opened at $294.95 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.35 billion, a PE ratio of 36.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $286.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $277.35.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

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.