Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Position Increased by Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 6.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,909 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,672 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $12,209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $691,070. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $287.59, for a total transaction of $43,138.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,820.41. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $691,070. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,240 shares of company stock valued at $4,891,324 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 8th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 price objective (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $310.08.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE ROK traded up $4.01 on Friday, reaching $274.05. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 996,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 859,440. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $252.11 and a twelve month high of $348.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market cap of $31.40 billion, a PE ratio of 26.08, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $282.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $283.03.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is presently 47.57%.

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.