First Trust Advisors LP Lowers Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

First Trust Advisors LP trimmed its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 12.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,746 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,527 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $5,072,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at $284,177,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 85,513.1% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 675,487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $193,047,000 after purchasing an additional 674,698 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 102.3% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,287,731 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $368,021,000 after acquiring an additional 651,116 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $580,095,000 after purchasing an additional 430,498 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $56,887,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $249.51 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $215.00 and a twelve month high of $308.70. The company has a market capitalization of $28.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $253.17 and a 200 day moving average of $273.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 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 EPS 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is presently 65.26%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total transaction of $248,810.28. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,057 shares in the company, valued at approximately $300,219.71. This represents a 45.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total value of $75,500.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $495,260.96. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923 over the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $248.00 to $201.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp reduced their target price on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $297.11.

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.