Coombe Bender & Co LLC Invests $189,000 in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Coombe Bender & Co LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 608 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $189,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ROK. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 33,600.1% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 295,213 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $91,658,000 after buying an additional 294,337 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 9.9% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,908,119 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $545,474,000 after buying an additional 172,577 shares during the last quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth about $38,275,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 35.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 484,438 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $139,247,000 after acquiring an additional 127,303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1,294.7% in the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 127,891 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,560,000 after buying an additional 118,721 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total value of $167,448.19. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,337,482.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Rockwell Automation news, CFO Nicholas C. Gangestad sold 1,989 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.17, for a total transaction of $573,170.13. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 12,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,520,572.89. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total value of $167,448.19. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,337,482.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,877 shares of company stock worth $5,058,772. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE:ROK traded down $0.30 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $269.45. The company had a trading volume of 311,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 998,107. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $252.11 and a 1-year high of $348.52. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $282.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $283.24. The firm has a market cap of $30.88 billion, a PE ratio of 25.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by ($0.58). Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.46 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 47.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup dropped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 8th. UBS Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $305.00 to $360.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $310.08.

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.