Apella Capital LLC Makes New $233,000 Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Apella Capital LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 961 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $233,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $320.42 on Friday. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $269.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $278.37. The stock has a market cap of $36.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.90, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.38. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $323.15.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.50 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 65.99%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 939 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.24, for a total transaction of $285,681.36. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $299,067.92. This trade represents a 48.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total transaction of $760,325.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $314,166.29. This trade represents a 70.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,405 shares of company stock valued at $1,640,796 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. BNP Paribas upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. TD Cowen upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $316.21.

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.

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