Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 70 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Sentry Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 14.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 70 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $122,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 24.5% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 9,024 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,442,000 after acquiring an additional 1,773 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.4% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 13,764 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,694,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 4.2% during the third quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC now owns 2,517 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $676,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 14.5% during the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 4,197 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,127,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 102.6% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 8,695 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,334,000 after acquiring an additional 4,403 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK stock opened at $287.38 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.79, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $286.13 and its 200 day moving average is $278.06. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas cut shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.55.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,741 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.67, for a total transaction of $516,502.47. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 80,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,825,271.03. This represents a 2.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at $490,242.93. This trade represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,540 shares of company stock worth $1,935,134. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.