Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 141,808 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 64.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 141,808 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned approximately 0.07% of Rockwell Automation worth $22,394,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,000 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,089,000. This trade represents a 21.60 % 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 that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value 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. This represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 36,240 shares of company stock worth $10,800,555 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE:ROK opened at $302.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $308.70. The firm has a market cap of $34.25 billion, a PE ratio of 37.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.35. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $286.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $276.66.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted 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 net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is presently 65.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, HSBC raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $308.05.

Rockwell Automation Company 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.