Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Great Lakes Advisors LLC

Great Lakes Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 50.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,269 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,269 shares during the quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $394,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 33,600.1% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 295,213 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $91,658,000 after purchasing an additional 294,337 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 9.9% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,908,119 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $545,474,000 after buying an additional 172,577 shares in the last quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth $38,275,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 35.6% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 484,438 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $139,247,000 after acquiring an additional 127,303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1,294.7% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 127,891 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,560,000 after acquiring an additional 118,721 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $270.81 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.87 billion, a PE ratio of 26.47, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $278.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $283.58. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $252.11 and a 52-week high of $348.52.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.35. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 34.83%. The business had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.01 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $312.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.93.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.27, for a total value of $127,617.09. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,696. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Nicholas C. Gangestad sold 1,989 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.17, for a total value of $573,170.13. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 12,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,520,572.89. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.27, for a total value of $127,617.09. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,311,696. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,006 shares of company stock valued at $4,822,904 over the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.