VCI Wealth Management LLC Has $1.74 Million Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

VCI Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 33.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,077 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,537 shares during the period. VCI Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE ROK opened at $284.31 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $288.50 and a 200-day moving average of $275.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market cap of $32.14 billion, a PE ratio of 34.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.36. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $242.81 and a 52-week high of $307.71.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. Rockwell Automation’s quarterly revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.64 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.31 dividend. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 63.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total value of $83,967.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,184 shares in the company, valued at $961,695.36. The trade was a 8.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total transaction of $7,973,421.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 78,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 36,436 shares of company stock worth $10,832,549 in the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ROK shares. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $313.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $304.16.

About Rockwell Automation

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.