Signaturefd LLC Lowers Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Signaturefd LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 21.2% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,964 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 528 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $508,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 8.5% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,424 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,401,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 1,063 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,652 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth about $281,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 14,478 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,135,000 after acquiring an additional 1,872 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $356.82 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $357.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $323.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $286.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 1.38.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.16%. Rockwell Automation’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.50 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.99%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 939 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.24, for a total value of $285,681.36. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $299,067.92. This trade represents a 48.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.31, for a total transaction of $179,796.81. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 12,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,147,726.41. The trade was a 4.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,757 shares of company stock worth $3,138,220 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ROK shares. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $304.00 to $371.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. KeyCorp upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $392.00 target price (up previously from $371.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $360.00 to $410.00 in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $341.11.

Rockwell Automation 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.