Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Sells $351,364.33 in Stock

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

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $267.88 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $30.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.36, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $285.34 and a 200-day moving average of $278.73. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $542,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,083,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on ROK. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus 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.