Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Acquires 28,016 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 676.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,156 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 28,016 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $9,984,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of ROK. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Rockwell Automation news, CEO Blake D. Moret purchased 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,901,262.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total transaction of $167,448.19. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,088 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,337,482.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret bought 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,901,262.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 1st. UBS Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $305.00 to $360.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Barclays reduced their target price on Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $307.43.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 1.7 %

Rockwell Automation stock traded down $4.77 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $282.06. 794,003 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,031,095. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $32.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.43. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $252.11 and a 1-year high of $348.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $281.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $284.35.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). The business had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 12.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.57%.

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.