Eukles Asset Management Cuts Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Eukles Asset Management lessened its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 9,342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 572 shares during the period. Eukles Asset Management’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $2,670,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 238.8% during the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 864 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth about $214,000. InTrack Investment Management Inc grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 23.3% in the 3rd quarter. InTrack Investment Management Inc now owns 2,663 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $715,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at about $234,000. Finally, Creative Planning raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.2% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 25,927 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,960,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

ROK stock opened at $268.27 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $285.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $274.97. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $242.81 and a 12-month high of $304.29. The firm has a market cap of $30.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.35. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $304.16.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total value of $83,967.12. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,184 shares in the company, valued at $961,695.36. This trade represents a 8.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $329,114.56. The trade was a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,857 shares of company stock worth $10,678,037 over the last ninety days. Company 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.