Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Holdings Cut by Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 26.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 867 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 314 shares during the period. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 33.2% during the third quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 1,377 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $912,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 6.0% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 34,209 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,184,000 after buying an additional 1,928 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 99.1% during the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,482,000 after acquiring an additional 2,582 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vicus Capital acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at approximately $304,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE ROK opened at $290.73 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $288.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $242.81 and a 52-week high of $307.71.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.64 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total transaction of $132,660.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at $1,363,536. This trade represents a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at $329,114.56. The trade was a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 36,436 shares of company stock valued at $10,832,549. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $288.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, KeyCorp raised Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $304.16.

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.