Mirova Lowers Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Mirova reduced its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 40.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,040 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,388 shares during the period. Mirova's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 789 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth about $1,348,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth about $464,000. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,404 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,256,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 204,679 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $54,948,000 after acquiring an additional 11,161 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,057 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $300,219.71. This trade represents a 45.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total value of $75,500.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $495,260.96. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923 in the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Rockwell Automation stock traded up $8.81 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $248.64. The stock had a trading volume of 692,729 shares, compared to its average volume of 869,720. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.11 billion, a PE ratio of 30.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.00 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $259.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $274.62.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on ROK shares. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $283.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $297.11.

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.