Commerce Bank Reduces Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Commerce Bank decreased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 26.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,710 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 14,588 shares during the period. Commerce Bank's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $11,635,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,876,530 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,965,774,000 after purchasing an additional 81,079 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,734,430 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $779,426,000 after purchasing an additional 51,228 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $580,095,000 after purchasing an additional 430,498 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,570,036 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $448,701,000 after purchasing an additional 13,744 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,417,323 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $405,057,000 after acquiring an additional 53,287 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares of the company's stock, valued at $490,242.93. This trade represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total transaction of $248,810.28. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,057 shares in the company, valued at $300,219.71. This represents a 45.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,075,923 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE:ROK traded up $5.42 on Wednesday, reaching $239.84. 922,486 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 869,603. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $260.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $274.86. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.00 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The firm has a market cap of $27.12 billion, a PE ratio of 29.87, 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $297.11.

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.