Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Stock Position Lessened by Lmcg Investments LLC

Lmcg Investments LLC decreased its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 4.2% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 44,075 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,947 shares during the quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $11,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ROK. Norges Bank bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at about $284,177,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 29,844.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 702,794 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $181,588,000 after purchasing an additional 700,447 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 85,513.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 675,487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $193,047,000 after purchasing an additional 674,698 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 102.3% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,287,731 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $368,021,000 after purchasing an additional 651,116 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,115,280 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,033,476,000 after purchasing an additional 432,934 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.7%

ROK opened at $318.98 on Thursday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.00 and a fifty-two week high of $320.32. The business has a 50-day moving average of $268.02 and a 200-day moving average of $278.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $35.95 billion, a PE ratio of 39.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.38.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.99%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 939 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.24, for a total value of $285,681.36. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $299,067.92. This trade represents a 48.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total value of $760,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,033 shares in the company, valued at $314,166.29. The trade was a 70.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,405 shares of company stock valued at $1,640,796 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ROK shares. Barclays upgraded Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $283.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Loop Capital increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $327.00 to $371.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $316.21.

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.