Keel Point LLC Decreases Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Keel Point LLC lessened its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 990 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 81 shares during the period. Keel Point LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $307,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,472,877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,212,750,000 after buying an additional 106,641 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,752,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $786,778,000 after purchasing an additional 70,272 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,741,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $706,004,000 after purchasing an additional 457,383 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% during the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,375,698 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $695,560,000 after purchasing an additional 51,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 9.9% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,908,119 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $545,474,000 after purchasing an additional 172,577 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on ROK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Berenberg Bank restated a “hold” rating and set a $290.00 price target (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $310.08.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,901,262.60. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.59, for a total transaction of $43,138.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $344,820.41. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at $21,901,262.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK stock opened at $281.42 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.43. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $283.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $284.38. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $252.11 and a one year high of $348.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 12.03 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.57%.

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.