Alerus Financial NA Takes Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Alerus Financial NA purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 19,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,470,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 12,848 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,672,000 after acquiring an additional 2,044 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 34,356 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,819,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,437,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $284,177,000. Finally, IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 15,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,287,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was 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 directly owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, BNP Paribas cut shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.42.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK opened at $268.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $30.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.44, a P/E/G 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. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $279.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $278.65. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $242.81 and a 1 year high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.