Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp reduced its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,724 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,231 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.06% of Rockwell Automation worth $19,785,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Choreo LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,963 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $609,000 after buying an additional 571 shares during the period. Capital Investment Counsel Inc purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $338,000. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $530,000. Intellectus Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $664,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 31.1% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 42,028 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,051,000 after purchasing an additional 9,961 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their price target on Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Berenberg Bank reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 price target (down from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $310.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $691,070. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Blake D. Moret bought 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,901,262.60. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $691,070. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,877 shares of company stock worth $5,058,772 over the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $269.87 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $30.92 billion, a PE ratio of 25.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.43. The company’s 50 day moving average is $282.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $283.24. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $252.11 and a 52 week high of $348.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). The business had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.46 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.57%.

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.