Fisher Asset Management LLC Buys 19,912 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 689,929 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,912 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.61% of Rockwell Automation worth $197,175,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens upgraded Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.55.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,741 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.67, for a total value of $516,502.47. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 80,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,825,271.03. This trade represents a 2.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 1,304 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $299.61, for a total value of $390,691.44. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,059 shares in the company, valued at $317,286.99. This represents a 55.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,540 shares of company stock worth $1,935,134. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $287.51 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.51 billion, a PE ratio of 35.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $286.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $278.47. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.26%.

About Rockwell Automation

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.