WoodTrust Financial Corp Has $1.66 Million Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

WoodTrust Financial Corp trimmed its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 17.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,178 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,270 shares during the period. WoodTrust Financial Corp’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,658,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 33.2% during the third quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 1,377 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $370,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the period. Vicus Capital purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at $304,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 186.9% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,731 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,292,000 after buying an additional 9,596 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 60,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $17,485,000 after buying an additional 3,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter valued at $2,817,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total value of $154,511.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 4,576 shares in the company, valued at $1,221,151.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ROK shares. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Rockwell Automation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $227.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Bank of America raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Mizuho raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $281.93.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 9.2 %

ROK stock opened at $294.00 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $33.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.41, a PEG ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 1.36. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $312.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $266.71 and a 200-day moving average of $266.63.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.63. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 34.09% and a net margin of 11.56%. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.01 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, September 5th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to reacquire up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.82%.

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.