Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by CHICAGO TRUST Co NA

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA trimmed its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 27.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 725 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 280 shares during the quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $207,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Second Line Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 963 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $629,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $275.72 on Tuesday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month high of $307.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $287.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $274.03. The company has a market capitalization of $31.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.30, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.64 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This is a positive change from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 63.29%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total transaction of $132,660.69. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at $1,363,536. The trade was a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total transaction of $154,511.94. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,221,151.36. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 36,436 shares of company stock valued at $10,832,549 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on ROK. Citigroup raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $313.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $288.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. HSBC raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $300.89.

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.