Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Acquires New Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 5,500 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,572,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,775 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,079,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,896 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $542,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on ROK shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $310.37.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Rockwell Automation stock traded up $1.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $308.89. 664,567 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 874,193. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $34.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.00 and a 12 month high of $310.78. The business's 50-day moving average is $255.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $275.02.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.50 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total transaction of $75,500.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at $495,260.96. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of the business'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 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,839 shares of company stock valued at $2,014,256. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation 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.