Advantage Trust Co Takes Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares in the company, valued at $691,070. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $145,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares in the company, valued at $691,070. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $287.59, for a total transaction of $43,138.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $344,820.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,240 shares of company stock valued at $4,891,324 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on ROK. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 price target (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.93.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 1.1 %

ROK stock traded down $3.09 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $270.50. The stock had a trading volume of 1,515,102 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,029,059. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $252.11 and a 1-year high of $348.52. The company has a fifty day moving average of $281.65 and a 200 day moving average of $283.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.74, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.35. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.01 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.57%.

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.