Vise Technologies Inc. Makes New $252,000 Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 883 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total value of $760,325.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $314,166.29. This represents a 70.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $552,716.70. This trade represents a 20.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,555,841. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $315.18. 1,520,895 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 879,189. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.00 and a 12 month high of $318.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $264.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $277.47. The company has a market capitalization of $35.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. 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 (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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.50 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation's revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 65.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $313.89.

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.