Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Annex Advisory Services LLC

Annex Advisory Services LLC decreased its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 87 shares during the quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $455,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,083,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $518,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 963 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $265,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $629,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at $329,114.56. This represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total transaction of $7,973,421.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 78,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 36,436 shares of company stock valued at $10,832,549. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK stock opened at $287.06 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $287.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $274.37. The company has a market capitalization of $32.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.67, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.36. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $242.81 and a 52-week high of $307.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.64 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $304.16.

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.