Shell Asset Management Co. Decreases Stock Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Shell Asset Management Co. trimmed its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,284 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 118 shares during the quarter. Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $367,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 95.8% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $667,000 after buying an additional 1,141 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 99.1% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,482,000 after buying an additional 2,582 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 357.8% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 37,239 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,643,000 after buying an additional 29,105 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 181.6% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $562,000 after buying an additional 1,351 shares during the period. Finally, Marathon Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at $429,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $314,166.29. This trade represents a 70.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 6,839 shares of company stock worth $2,014,256 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on ROK shares. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $310.37.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $308.89 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $34.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.47, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $255.37 and its 200 day moving average is $275.13. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $310.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Rockwell Automation’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.50 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.99%.

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.