Commerce Bank Has $11.64 Million Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Commerce Bank lowered its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 26.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,710 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 14,588 shares during the period. Commerce Bank’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $11,635,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total transaction of $248,810.28. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,057 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $300,219.71. This trade represents a 45.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. This represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ROK. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens raised shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $297.11.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $231.51 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $308.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $263.01 and its 200-day moving average is $275.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.18 billion, a PE ratio of 28.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.