Trillium Asset Management LLC Sells 2,499 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Trillium Asset Management LLC cut its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 65,028 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,499 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Rockwell Automation worth $18,584,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,938 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,863,000 after acquiring an additional 851 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at $537,000. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. SouthState Corp raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 46,684 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,533,000 after acquiring an additional 2,887 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,966,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total transaction of $145,070.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,905 shares in the company, valued at $552,716.70. This represents a 20.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $258.02 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $281.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $278.68. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $242.81 and a 12-month high of $308.70. The stock has a market cap of $29.18 billion, a PE ratio of 32.13, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. Analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. BNP Paribas cut Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp raised Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.68.

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.