Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Acquires New Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 4,757 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,360,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.8 %

ROK stock opened at $257.91 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $280.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $278.41. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The company has a market cap of $29.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.68.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This represents a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.