Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by FORA Capital LLC

FORA Capital LLC lessened its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 77.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,772 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 13,150 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,078,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.01, for a total value of $147,505.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $837,238.38. This represents a 14.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,223,428 over the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Loop Capital upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $308.37.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:ROK opened at $294.88 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $33.34 billion, a PE ratio of 36.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.00 and a 52-week high of $308.70. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $251.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.99%.

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.