Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt

Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt cut its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,032,275 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 60,900 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation accounts for 1.6% of Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $295,179,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth about $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of ROK opened at $287.38 on Thursday. 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 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $308.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $286.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $278.06.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ROK. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.55.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,741 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.67, for a total transaction of $516,502.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 80,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,825,271.03. This trade represents a 2.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 1,304 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $299.61, for a total value of $390,691.44. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $317,286.99. The trade was a 55.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,540 shares of company stock worth $1,935,134. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.