Agate Pass Investment Management LLC Takes Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Agate Pass Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,705 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $773,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the second quarter worth $36,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was 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 owns 78,115 shares in the company, valued at $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total transaction of $154,511.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,221,151.36. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 35,541 shares of company stock valued at $10,586,674 in the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $345.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $313.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $300.89.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.8 %

ROK stock traded up $2.32 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $275.72. The stock had a trading volume of 655,972 shares, compared to its average volume of 603,810. The firm has a market cap of $31.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.30, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month high of $307.71. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $287.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.97.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The firm's revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.64 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This is a positive change from Rockwell Automation's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is presently 63.29%.

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.