Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Middleton & Co. Inc. MA

Middleton & Co. Inc. MA decreased its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,375 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $393,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ROK. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 14.5% during the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 4,197 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,127,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 102.6% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 8,695 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,334,000 after acquiring an additional 4,403 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.3% during the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 182,140 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $48,897,000 after acquiring an additional 5,865 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.1% during the third quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 24,943 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,696,000 after acquiring an additional 758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 33.2% during the third quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 1,377 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $370,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group started coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.55.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $287.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $32.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $242.81 and a 12-month high of $308.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $286.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $278.35.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. Equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,741 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.67, for a total transaction of $516,502.47. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 80,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,825,271.03. This trade represents a 2.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,540 shares of company stock valued at $1,935,134. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.