Founders Financial Alliance LLC Buys Shares of 720 Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Founders Financial Alliance LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 720 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 95.8% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $667,000 after buying an additional 1,141 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 99.1% during the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,482,000 after acquiring an additional 2,582 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth $912,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 34,209 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,184,000 after acquiring an additional 1,928 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 462,537 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $132,554,000 after purchasing an additional 25,882 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 1.8 %

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $265.53 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $283.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $278.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.07, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. 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 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $308.70.

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 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%. Analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total transaction of $145,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,905 shares in the company, valued at $552,716.70. The trade was a 20.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 over the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays dropped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.68.

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.