Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Searle & CO.

Searle & CO. cut its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,293 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation comprises about 1.0% of Searle & CO.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Searle & CO.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $3,817,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at $27,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $290.00 price objective (down from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $310.08.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:ROK traded down $1.21 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $269.75. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 840,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,006,361. The company has a market cap of $30.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.43. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $252.11 and a one year high of $348.52. The business’s 50-day moving average is $282.48 and its 200-day moving average is $283.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by ($0.58). The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.46 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 47.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $691,070. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total transaction of $167,448.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,337,482.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $145,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $691,070. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.