Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Cyril Perducat Sells 1,000 Shares

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,089,000. The trade was a 21.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 2.7 %

NYSE:ROK traded up $7.98 on Monday, hitting $298.84. The stock had a trading volume of 2,235,122 shares, compared to its average volume of 895,555. The stock has a market cap of $33.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.09, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.36. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $312.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $272.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $267.32.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation’s revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, September 5th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This is a positive change from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on ROK shares. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $288.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.13.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ascent Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.5% in the first quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 2,658 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $774,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Prudent Investors Network Inc. purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at $382,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 543.5% during the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 14,595 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,172,000 after purchasing an additional 12,327 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,680 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,363,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the period. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter worth about $681,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.