Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC Invests $4.63 Million in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 16,203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,631,000. Rockwell Automation makes up approximately 1.1% of Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 85,513.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 675,487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $193,047,000 after buying an additional 674,698 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 33.1% during the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 6,785 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,939,000 after purchasing an additional 1,686 shares in the last quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 45.1% in the 4th quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,322 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $949,000 after purchasing an additional 1,033 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 14,478 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,872 shares during the period. Finally, L & S Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at about $7,067,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. This trade represents a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. BNP Paribas cut Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.42.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 3.7 %

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $258.22 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $278.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $278.91. The stock has a market cap of $29.20 billion, a PE ratio of 32.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $242.81 and a 12-month high of $308.70.

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, research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

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