Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Position Reduced by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp trimmed its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 62.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,771 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,904 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $550,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on ROK shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. UBS Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $310.08.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.5 %

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $276.93 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $31.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.35, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $282.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $283.84. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $252.11 and a 52 week high of $348.52.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). The company had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 posted $2.46 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.57%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,901,262.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of Rockwell Automation 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,337,482.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret bought 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 17,877 shares of company stock valued at $5,058,772 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation 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.