Larson Financial Group LLC Buys 249 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 70.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 601 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $161,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ROK. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.1% during the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,680 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,363,000 after buying an additional 311 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.5% during the first quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 1,805 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 336.5% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 27,307 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,956,000 after purchasing an additional 21,051 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 30.3% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 7,122 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,075,000 after purchasing an additional 1,658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total value of $7,973,421.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 78,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,089,000. This represents a 21.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 28,746 shares of company stock valued at $8,560,594 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE:ROK opened at $294.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $33.30 billion, a PE ratio of 35.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.36. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $312.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $273.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $267.86.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, September 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to reacquire up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid 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 is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on ROK. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $227.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 12th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $287.13.

Rockwell Automation 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.