Sapient Capital LLC Takes Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 728 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $226,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at $21,901,262.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Nicholas C. Gangestad sold 1,989 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.17, for a total value of $573,170.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 12,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,520,572.89. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret purchased 3,500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,901,262.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,877 shares of company stock worth $5,058,772 in the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $285.90 on Tuesday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $252.11 and a 12-month high of $348.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $282.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $284.41. The stock has a market cap of $32.76 billion, a PE ratio of 27.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by ($0.58). Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.46 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 12.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Mizuho decreased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Barclays decreased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Berenberg Bank restated a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 price target (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $310.08.

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.