Dillon & Associates Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Dillon & Associates Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,310 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 215 shares during the quarter. Dillon & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $2,377,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $537,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 30,626 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,222,000 after purchasing an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 33,753 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 70.7% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 601 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $161,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $258.67 on Monday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $242.81 and a 52-week high of $308.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.21, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $280.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $278.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its 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 net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $490,242.93. This trade represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $552,716.70. The trade was a 20.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. HSBC raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp raised Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.68.

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.