Banque Pictet & Cie SA Sells 69 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Banque Pictet & Cie SA reduced its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,242 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 69 shares during the quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $9,214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $298.51 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $286.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $275.65. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $242.81 and a 52-week high of $308.70. The company has a market cap of $33.74 billion, a PE ratio of 36.05, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.35.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its 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 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 63.29%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total transaction of $83,967.12. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $961,695.36. This represents a 8.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total transaction of $7,973,421.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,115 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,327,482.45. The trade was a 25.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 35,857 shares of company stock valued at $10,678,037. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ROK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. KeyCorp raised 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $308.05.

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.