Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Sells $141,759.00 in Stock

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.02, for a total value of $141,759.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $894,026.76. This trade represents a 13.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $315.18 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.00 and a 52-week high of $316.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $264.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $277.34. The company has a market capitalization of $35.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. The company’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 65.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ROK. Citizens National Bank Trust Department acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth about $31,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price 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 raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $283.00 to $327.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays upgraded Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $283.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen raised Rockwell Automation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $275.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $313.89.

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.