LPL Financial LLC Has $43.32 Million Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 20.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 151,583 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,240 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned about 0.13% of Rockwell Automation worth $43,321,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. West Oak Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ROK. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $280.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. KeyCorp raised Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.42.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $258.22 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.16, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $242.81 and a one year high of $308.70. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $278.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $278.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 65.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.