Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Cidel Asset Management Inc.

Cidel Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 42.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,216 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 913 shares during the quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 33.2% during the 3rd 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 period. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 95.8% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $667,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 99.1% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,482,000 after buying an additional 2,582 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $912,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 34,209 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,184,000 after acquiring an additional 1,928 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE ROK opened at $268.27 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month high of $304.29. The stock has a market cap of $30.32 billion, a PE ratio of 32.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $285.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $274.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.64 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were 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 directly owns 78,115 shares in the company, valued at $23,327,482.45. The trade was a 25.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 35,857 shares of company stock worth $10,678,037. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $313.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target 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. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $288.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Barclays reduced their target price on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $304.16.

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.