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

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,642 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,327,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Founders Financial Alliance LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at about $206,000. Davis R M Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 86,988 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $24,860,000 after buying an additional 1,520 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $425,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 23,897 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,830,000 after acquiring an additional 2,707 shares during the period. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,411 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $689,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $329,114.56. This represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. This represents a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE ROK opened at $260.09 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $308.70. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $282.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $278.70. The stock has a market cap of $29.41 billion, a PE ratio of 32.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ROK shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. KeyCorp raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.68.

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.