Insider Selling: Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Sells $300,000.00 in Stock

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,000 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,089,000. This represents a 21.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $294.95 on Thursday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $242.81 and a 1 year high of $312.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $273.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $267.67. The company has a market capitalization of $33.30 billion, a PE ratio of 35.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.64 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, September 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to buy up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 2,658 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $774,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Prudent Investors Network Inc. purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter worth about $382,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 543.5% during the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 14,595 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,172,000 after purchasing an additional 12,327 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,680 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,363,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter worth about $681,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ROK. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $288.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 target price for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $287.13.

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.