Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Increases Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,567 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,452 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $13,880,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the fourth 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 period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $552,716.70. This represents a 20.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $329,114.56. This represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE ROK opened at $258.67 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $308.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.21, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $280.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $278.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 65.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ROK. KeyCorp raised Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.68.

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.