HFM Investment Advisors LLC Acquires New Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• HFM Investment Advisors LLC has acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation, purchasing 1,610 shares valued at approximately $416,000, making it the firm's 15th largest holding.
• Rockwell Automation reported a quarterly EPS of $2.82, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenues of $2.14 billion, marking a 4.5% increase year-over-year.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.31 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.5% and a payout ratio of 61.5%.

HFM Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,610 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $416,000. Rockwell Automation accounts for 0.1% of HFM Investment Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Citizens National Bank Trust Department acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 59.6% during the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 166 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $344.45 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $38.73 billion, a PE ratio of 40.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 1.41. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.00 and a 12 month high of $360.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $345.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $302.57.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.03% and a return on equity of 30.14%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 61.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 269 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.26, for a total transaction of $95,564.94. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,613 shares in the company, valued at $573,034.38. The trade was a 14.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 103 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.16, for a total transaction of $35,551.48. Following the sale, the vice president owned 1,912 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $659,945.92. This trade represents a 5.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 7,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,732,274. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $371.00 to $363.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $360.00 to $410.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $375.00 target price (up from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.16.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

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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