Nwam LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Nwam LLC boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 189.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,017 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,973 shares during the period. Nwam LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $862,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,083,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,199,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $518,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,741 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.67, for a total transaction of $516,502.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 80,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,825,271.03. The trade was a 2.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 279 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.13, for a total value of $82,620.27. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,891 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $856,111.83. This represents a 8.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,540 shares of company stock valued at $1,935,134. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. BNP Paribas downgraded Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.55.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.1 %

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $287.51 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $286.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $278.35. The company has a market cap of $32.51 billion, a PE ratio of 35.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $308.70. 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 (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

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

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.