Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,826 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 223 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $4,809,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 33.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 1,377 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 95.8% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $667,000 after acquiring an additional 1,141 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 99.1% in the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,482,000 after purchasing an additional 2,582 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at $912,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 34,209 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,184,000 after purchasing an additional 1,928 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $304.16.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE ROK opened at $268.27 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.32 billion, a PE ratio of 32.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $285.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $274.96. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month high of $304.29.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation’s revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total value of $83,967.12. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,184 shares in the company, valued at approximately $961,695.36. This represents a 8.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 35,857 shares of company stock worth $10,678,037. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.