Andina Capital Management LLC Reduces Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Andina Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 30.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 753 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 325 shares during the quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 70.5% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 11,400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,138,000 after buying an additional 4,713 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 179.8% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 39,893 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,982,000 after acquiring an additional 25,633 shares during the last quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the second quarter valued at $2,330,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.4% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 70,288 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $19,345,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,349,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of ROK opened at $288.08 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $242.81 and a one year high of $307.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $288.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $275.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a market capitalization of $32.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.64 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This is a positive change from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 63.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on ROK. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $313.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $304.16.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total transaction of $154,511.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,576 shares in the company, valued at $1,221,151.36. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total value of $132,660.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,363,536. The trade was a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 36,436 shares of company stock valued at $10,832,549. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.