Polymer Capital Management US LLC Makes New $2.32 Million Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Polymer Capital Management US LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 8,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,315,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,819.50. This represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following 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 three months, insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ROK shares. KeyCorp raised Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Stephens raised shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.42.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK stock opened at $227.25 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $25.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.30, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. 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 50 day moving average of $274.90 and a 200-day moving average of $278.46. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $214.89 and a 12-month high of $308.70.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.26%.

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.