Westpac Banking Corp Makes New $132,000 Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Westpac Banking Corp purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 462 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $132,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ROK. Bryce Point Capital LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $1,005,000. Huntington National Bank grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 215,920 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $61,708,000 after buying an additional 921 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,450 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $700,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,699,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,734,430 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $779,426,000 after acquiring an additional 51,228 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $227.25 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.70 billion, a PE ratio of 28.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $274.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $278.24. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $218.48 and a one year high of $308.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.26%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of Rockwell Automation 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were 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 approximately $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $280.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.42.

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.