Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC Cuts Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC lowered its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 62,642 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,157 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation makes up about 1.6% of Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $19,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Imprint Wealth LLC grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 32,845.0% during the second quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC now owns 1,254,546 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $125,455,000 after buying an additional 1,250,738 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 87,404.1% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,236,433 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $318,468,000 after acquiring an additional 1,235,020 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $215,125,000. Morgan Stanley raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,741,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $706,004,000 after purchasing an additional 457,383 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 13.8% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,638,992 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $774,411,000 after purchasing an additional 320,524 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $291.33 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $252.11 and a 12-month high of $348.52. The company has a market cap of $33.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $284.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $284.56.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by ($0.58). Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 12.29 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.57%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $145,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $691,070. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $691,070. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.59, for a total transaction of $43,138.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,199 shares in the company, valued at $344,820.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $351.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Mizuho dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. UBS Group raised Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $305.00 to $360.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $290.00 target price (down from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $308.36.

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.