Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC

Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC decreased its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 21.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 714 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 196 shares during the period. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $204,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ROK. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $580,095,000 after purchasing an additional 430,498 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 33.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,556,292 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $417,802,000 after purchasing an additional 390,784 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,887,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $32,532,000. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 27.9% during the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 408,336 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $116,682,000 after acquiring an additional 88,962 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp raised Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, HSBC raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.68.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. This trade represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $260.09 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.39, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $282.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $278.59. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $242.81 and a 52-week high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

Rockwell Automation Company 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.