Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) VP Sells $760,325.00 in Stock

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total transaction of $760,325.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $314,166.29. This trade represents a 70.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE ROK opened at $306.72 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $253.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.49. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $215.00 and a one year high of $310.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market cap of $34.57 billion, a PE ratio of 38.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. Analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 65.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. TD Cowen raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $275.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $308.37.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,775 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,079,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $542,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% 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.