Marathon Strategic Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Marathon Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $429,000. Rockwell Automation comprises 0.5% of Marathon Strategic Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ROK. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,648,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,247,839,000 after purchasing an additional 11,949 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,683,202 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $717,865,000 after buying an additional 14,040 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 33.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,556,292 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $417,802,000 after acquiring an additional 390,784 shares during the period. Accredited Investors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 162,058.5% during the third quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 1,185,379 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $318,227,000 after acquiring an additional 1,184,648 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.4% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,128,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $303,041,000 after acquiring an additional 67,684 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total transaction of $83,967.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $961,695.36. This represents a 8.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 36,436 shares of company stock worth $10,832,549 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ROK shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Stephens upgraded Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $304.16.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $289.09 on Thursday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $242.81 and a 1 year high of $307.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $288.32 and its 200 day moving average is $274.71. The stock has a market cap of $32.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.91, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The business’s revenue was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.31 dividend. This is a positive change from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

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.