Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho Sells 293 Shares

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total value of $75,500.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $495,260.96. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE:ROK opened at $227.38 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $273.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $278.17. The stock has a market cap of $25.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.32, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.71 and a 1-year high of $308.70. 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 (NYSE:ROK) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts anticipate 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 Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is presently 65.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ROK shares. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $280.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. KeyCorp raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.42.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 95.8% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $667,000 after acquiring an additional 1,141 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 99.1% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,482,000 after purchasing an additional 2,582 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.0% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 34,209 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,184,000 after purchasing an additional 1,928 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 462,537 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $132,554,000 after purchasing an additional 25,882 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 7.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.