Grandfield & Dodd LLC Increases Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Grandfield & Dodd LLC boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,576 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,766 shares during the period. Grandfield & Dodd LLC's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $12,739,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the company'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 directly owns 3,184 shares in the company, valued at $961,695.36. The trade was a 8.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,823 shares of company stock worth $1,690,564 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on ROK. Loop Capital upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group initiated 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. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $307.55.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of ROK stock traded down $2.19 on Thursday, hitting $271.47. The company had a trading volume of 1,107,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 829,477. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month high of $308.70. The stock's 50-day moving average is $284.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $278.70. The firm has a market cap of $30.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business 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 1.93%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

About Rockwell Automation

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.