Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Sells $75,500.24 in Stock

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total value of $75,500.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $495,260.96. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock traded down $3.38 on Monday, reaching $223.74. 308,784 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 874,745. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.30 billion, a PE ratio of 27.86, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.71 and a 1-year high of $308.70. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $274.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $278.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,775 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,079,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $542,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,199,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.42.

About Rockwell Automation

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.