Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Director James Keane Sells 3,000 Shares

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Director James Keane sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.06, for a total transaction of $1,068,180.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,272,903.52. This trade represents a 24.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK traded up $6.63 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $356.60. 1,498,078 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 943,544. The stock has a market cap of $40.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.06. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.00 and a 1-year high of $360.92. The company has a 50 day moving average of $341.64 and a 200-day moving average of $299.42.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.03% and a return on equity of 30.14%. Rockwell Automation’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.71 EPS. Analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Citizens National Bank Trust Department purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Cooksen Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ROK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $275.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.16.

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.