Insider Selling: Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Sells 1,231 Shares of Stock

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 3.1 %

NYSE:ROK opened at $278.20 on Tuesday. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The company has a market cap of $31.46 billion, a PE ratio of 34.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $285.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $278.69.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,775 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,079,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $542,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during 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 acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC grew its position 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 valued at $386,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on ROK shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. HSBC upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.55.

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.