Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Purchased by Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 19.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,038 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,128 shares during the quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $9,947,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,472,877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,212,750,000 after acquiring an additional 106,641 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,752,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $786,778,000 after purchasing an additional 70,272 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,741,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $706,004,000 after buying an additional 457,383 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% during the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,375,698 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $695,560,000 after buying an additional 51,561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,908,119 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $545,474,000 after buying an additional 172,577 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE ROK traded down $3.54 during trading on Friday, hitting $269.96. The stock had a trading volume of 1,196,641 shares, compared to its average volume of 838,069. The company has a market capitalization of $30.93 billion, a PE ratio of 25.69, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.43. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $252.11 and a twelve 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $282.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $284.17.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 47.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,901,262.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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, CFO Nicholas C. Gangestad sold 1,989 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.17, for a total transaction of $573,170.13. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 12,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,520,572.89. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have 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 company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ROK shares. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. UBS Group raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $254.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $310.08.

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.