Whitener Capital Management Inc. Raises Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Whitener Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 0.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,257 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation accounts for approximately 2.1% of Whitener Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Whitener Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $5,356,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the second quarter worth $29,000. Clear Street Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Delta Asset Management LLC TN acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. First Manhattan Co. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 150.0% during the fourth quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 125 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.84% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Rockwell Automation stock traded down $4.52 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $284.21. 223,487 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 740,028. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $312.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $298.47. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $209.27 and a twelve month high of $348.52. The firm has a market cap of $32.64 billion, a PE ratio of 23.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.12.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $3.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.19 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.33 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 40.33% and a net margin of 16.51%. Rockwell Automation’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.66 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.00, for a total value of $48,750.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $305,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 677 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total transaction of $203,898.86. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $867,398.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.00, for a total transaction of $48,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $305,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,327 shares of company stock worth $401,459 over the last ninety days. 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on ROK shares. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded Rockwell Automation from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 11th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $334.00 to $375.00 in a report on Monday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Finally, Barclays downgraded Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $300.00 to $287.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $289.00.

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.