Verus Capital Partners LLC Raises Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Verus Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $678,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ROK. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth about $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth $34,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,741 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.67, for a total transaction of $516,502.47. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 80,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,825,271.03. This trade represents a 2.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total transaction of $83,967.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $961,695.36. The trade was a 8.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,540 shares of company stock valued at $1,935,134. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE ROK opened at $287.51 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $308.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $286.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $278.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.51 billion, a PE ratio of 35.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. As a group, research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on ROK shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.55.

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.