B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Sells 2,624 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 14.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,873 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,624 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $4,536,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ROK. West Oak Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $329,114.56. This represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on ROK shares. 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 research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $280.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.42.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK stock opened at $258.42 on Tuesday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $242.81 and a 52-week high of $308.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $29.22 billion, a PE ratio of 32.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $278.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $278.91.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. On average, equities analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

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.