GAMMA Investing LLC Takes Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 732 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $227,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,915 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $595,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 1,168 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Cohen Lawrence B increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cohen Lawrence B now owns 8,319 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,378,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cottage Street Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Cottage Street Advisors LLC now owns 1,038 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on ROK. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 1st. UBS Group raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $290.00 target price (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $310.08.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total value of $167,448.19. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,337,482.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Blake D. Moret bought 3,500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at $21,901,262.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total transaction of $167,448.19. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,337,482.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772 over the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE ROK opened at $276.93 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.35, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.43. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $252.11 and a 12 month high of $348.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $282.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $283.84.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share (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 prior year, the company posted $2.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.57%.

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.