Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Purchases 2,044 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 18.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,848 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 2,044 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $3,672,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $284,177,000. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $580,095,000 after purchasing an additional 430,498 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $56,887,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $32,532,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 514,690 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $147,093,000 after buying an additional 106,257 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 3.7 %

NYSE:ROK opened at $258.22 on Monday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $308.70. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $278.93 and its 200-day moving average is $278.91. The firm has a market cap of $29.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Equities analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.42.

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.