Nwam LLC Sells 79 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Nwam LLC lessened its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,044 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 79 shares during the quarter. Nwam LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $280,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ROK. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total value of $132,660.69. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,363,536. This trade represents a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total transaction of $154,511.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 4,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,221,151.36. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 28,746 shares of company stock worth $8,560,594. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $298.84 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $33.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.36. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $272.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $267.32. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month high of $312.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.64 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, September 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to repurchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $286.13.

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.