Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Ninety One UK Ltd

Ninety One UK Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 817,390 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 76,130 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd owned 0.71% of Rockwell Automation worth $253,783,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, CEO Blake D. Moret purchased 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,901,262.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.52, for a total transaction of $140,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,229,519.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,901,262.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 17,877 shares of company stock worth $5,058,772 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK stock traded down $3.99 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $274.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 461,190 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,025,446. The stock has a market cap of $31.47 billion, a PE ratio of 26.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $252.11 and a fifty-two week high of $348.52. The company’s 50 day moving average is $283.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $284.34.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by ($0.58). The business had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.46 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 12.03 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ROK. UBS Group raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Berenberg Bank reissued a “hold” rating and set a $290.00 target price (down from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $254.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $310.08.

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.