UBS Group AG Cuts Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

UBS Group AG lowered its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 5.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,580,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 84,148 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned 1.38% of Rockwell Automation worth $463,923,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aspire Private Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter valued at $11,444,550,000. New Hampshire Trust bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Clear Street Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Delta Asset Management LLC TN bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, First Manhattan Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 150.0% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 125 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.84% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.1 %

ROK traded up $0.24 on Friday, hitting $312.32. The company had a trading volume of 365,043 shares, compared to its average volume of 732,099. The company has a market cap of $35.87 billion, a PE ratio of 25.46, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.43. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $209.27 and a 12-month high of $348.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $318.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $298.01.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $3.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.19 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.33 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 40.33% and a net margin of 16.51%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.66 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.95 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.18 per share. This represents a $4.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 11th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.50%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 677 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total value of $203,898.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $867,398.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 677 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Friday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total value of $203,898.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $867,398.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 150 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.00, for a total transaction of $48,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 940 shares in the company, valued at $305,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 14,693 shares of company stock valued at $4,558,687. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ROK shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Tuesday, June 27th. They set a “hold” rating and a $335.00 price target on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $250.00 to $290.00 in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Rockwell Automation from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $289.00.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

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.