North Star Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,105 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

North Star Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 54,373 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,105 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $15,539,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at about $252,000. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,407 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $974,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 85.1% in the fourth quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 144,915 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $41,415,000 after acquiring an additional 66,608 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,158,161 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $330,991,000 after acquiring an additional 29,350 shares during the period. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 158.7% in the fourth quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 2,398 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $685,000 after acquiring an additional 1,471 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,260.96. This represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,839 shares of company stock valued at $2,014,256. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $305.50 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $260.01 and a 200 day moving average of $276.35. The stock has a market cap of $34.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.00 and a 12 month high of $310.78. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.50 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.72%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. 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 research report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $310.37.

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.