Bell Asset Management Ltd Reduces Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Bell Asset Management Ltd lowered its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 13.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,349 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,644 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation makes up 1.2% of Bell Asset Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Bell Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $6,673,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total transaction of $248,810.28. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,057 shares of the company's stock, valued at $300,219.71. The trade was a 45.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $248.00 to $201.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Loop Capital upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. KeyCorp decreased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $300.63.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK stock traded down $1.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $229.01. The company had a trading volume of 1,536,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 870,015. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $268.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $276.64. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.00 and a 12-month high of $308.70. The company has a market capitalization of $25.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

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.