GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Has $17.87 Million Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 53,786 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,438 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $17,866,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Howe & Rusling Inc. lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 4.9% in the first quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 794 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.7% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 34.2% during the second quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 161 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.8% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,652 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.6% during the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 7,708 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,992,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,435 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.08, for a total transaction of $499,494.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,318,178.96. This represents a 27.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 24,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.13, for a total transaction of $8,543,172.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 83,873 shares in the company, valued at $29,366,453.49. The trade was a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 30,375 shares of company stock worth $10,661,109 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of ROK stock opened at $368.89 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.00 and a 52-week high of $375.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $348.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $327.29. The company has a market capitalization of $41.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.30, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.41.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.15. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.14% and a net margin of 12.03%.The business had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.31. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ROK. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Monday, July 7th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $381.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $347.94.

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.