Strengthening Families & Communities LLC Trims Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 75.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 795 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,414 shares during the quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $227,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during 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 acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.2% during the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $518,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC increased 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 worth $629,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $313.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. HSBC upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Mizuho upped 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. Barclays cut their price target on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $304.16.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 12.6 %

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $302.14 on Tuesday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $308.70. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $285.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $275.06. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $34.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.49, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.35.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. Equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total transaction of $132,660.69. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,363,536. The trade was a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 78,115 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 35,857 shares of company stock worth $10,678,037. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.