Congress Asset Management Co. Trims Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Congress Asset Management Co. cut its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 29.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,701 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,124 shares during the quarter. Congress Asset Management Co.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $772,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 33.2% in the third quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 1,377 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 95.8% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $667,000 after buying an additional 1,141 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 99.1% in 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 buying an additional 2,582 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at approximately $912,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position 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 valued at $9,184,000 after buying an additional 1,928 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 2.7 %

NYSE ROK traded down $8.23 on Friday, reaching $294.95. The stock had a trading volume of 1,113,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 858,529. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.35. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $242.81 and a 12-month high of $308.70. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $286.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $276.84.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens upgraded Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $308.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the business's 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 owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total transaction of $7,973,421.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 78,115 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 36,240 shares of company stock worth $10,800,555 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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.