Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Sells 2,100 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lessened its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,100 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $16,767,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,472,877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,212,750,000 after acquiring an additional 106,641 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,752,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $786,778,000 after acquiring an additional 70,272 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,741,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $706,004,000 after acquiring an additional 457,383 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,375,698 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $695,560,000 after acquiring an additional 51,561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,908,119 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $545,474,000 after acquiring an additional 172,577 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, CEO Blake D. Moret bought 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at $21,901,262.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total value of $167,448.19. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,088 shares in the company, valued at $1,337,482.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret bought 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 77,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,901,262.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772 over the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK stock opened at $284.82 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $32.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.10, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.43. The company’s 50 day moving average is $282.22 and its 200 day moving average is $284.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $252.11 and a 52-week high of $348.52.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). The business had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.46 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 12.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 47.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Berenberg Bank reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 price objective (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $310.08.

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.