Catalyst Financial Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Catalyst Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 656 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $204,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at $60,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ROK shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 price target (down from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.93.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded down $3.09 on Thursday, reaching $270.50. 1,515,102 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,029,059. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.74, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.43. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $252.11 and a fifty-two week high of $348.52. The business’s 50-day moving average is $281.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $283.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.05 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. The firm’s revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.01 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Rebecca W. House sold 13,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.02, for a total value of $3,933,978.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,482 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,400,575.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret bought 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,901,262.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Rebecca W. House sold 13,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.02, for a total transaction of $3,933,978.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,482 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,400,575.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,240 shares of company stock valued at $4,891,324 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.