Bill Few Associates Inc. Acquires 186 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Bill Few Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,863 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation makes up 1.4% of Bill Few Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Bill Few Associates Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $3,962,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth about $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC raised its position 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.6 %

ROK opened at $289.09 on Thursday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $307.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $288.37 and a 200-day moving average of $274.81. The company has a market capitalization of $32.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.64 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.31 dividend. This is a positive change from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.29%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 owns 4,576 shares in the company, valued at $1,221,151.36. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total value of $132,660.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,363,536. This represents a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,436 shares of company stock worth $10,832,549. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 price target on the stock. Stephens raised shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $304.16.

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.