Ascent Wealth Partners LLC Trims Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC reduced its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 16,670 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 48 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $4,764,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% during 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 acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 9,691 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,770,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK stock opened at $294.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $286.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $277.35. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The company has a market capitalization of $33.35 billion, a PE ratio of 36.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. HSBC raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 price target for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $308.05.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, Director James P. Keane sold 2,000 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.00, for a total transaction of $592,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,518 shares in the company, valued at $3,409,328. This trade represents a 14.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total transaction of $7,973,421.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 78,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,327,482.45. This represents a 25.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 three months. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.