Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Purchased by Waverly Advisors LLC

Waverly Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 158.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,398 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 1,471 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $685,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 181.6% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,095 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $562,000 after buying an additional 1,351 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 1,063 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $304,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $1,429,000. Ninety One North America Inc. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Ninety One North America Inc. now owns 34,632 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $9,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $1,968,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total transaction of $760,325.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,033 shares in the company, valued at $314,166.29. This represents a 70.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 939 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.24, for a total value of $285,681.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 983 shares in the company, valued at $299,067.92. The trade was a 48.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,839 shares of company stock worth $2,014,256. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE:ROK traded down $0.63 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $312.46. 937,849 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 877,243. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a market cap of $35.22 billion, a PE ratio of 38.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $262.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $276.71. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $316.28.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share 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 net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The company's revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.50 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 65.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $283.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $310.37.

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.