Swedbank AB Sells 199,513 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Swedbank AB trimmed its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 57.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 149,986 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 199,513 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned approximately 0.13% of Rockwell Automation worth $42,864,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,083,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $518,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,342 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $629,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.4 %

ROK stock traded up $1.19 during trading on Thursday, hitting $280.09. 294,493 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 643,200. The stock has a market cap of $31.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 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 1 year low of $242.81 and a 1 year high of $304.29. The firm's 50 day moving average is $288.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $275.34.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.64 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total value of $154,511.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,576 shares in the company, valued at $1,221,151.36. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 279 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.13, for a total value of $82,620.27. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,891 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $856,111.83. This trade represents a 8.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 36,436 shares of company stock valued at $10,832,549 over the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. KeyCorp upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $345.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. HSBC raised Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $355.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $288.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $304.16.

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.