Soros Capital Management LLC Sells 1,494 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Soros Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 17.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,177 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,494 shares during the quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,927,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ROK. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,089,000. The trade was a 21.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total value of $7,973,421.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 28,746 shares of company stock valued at $8,560,594 in the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on ROK. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $287.13.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK opened at $296.09 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $272.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $267.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $33.43 billion, a PE ratio of 35.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.36. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $242.81 and a 1 year high of $312.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. Rockwell Automation’s quarterly revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.64 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, September 5th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to reacquire up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This is a positive change from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

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.