HM Payson & Co. Has $678,000 Stock Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

HM Payson & Co. cut its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 24.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,371 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 768 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $678,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $552,716.70. This represents a 20.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 5,823 shares of company stock valued at $1,690,564. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $276.55 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 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $308.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $284.25 and a 200-day moving average of $278.82.

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, 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens upgraded Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BNP Paribas downgraded Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $308.47.

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.