Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 200 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Securian Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,720,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on ROK. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. 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 report on Wednesday, December 11th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.68.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $255.30 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $282.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $278.64. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $308.70. The stock has a market cap of $28.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.79, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. 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 (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. On average, research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.26%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,041,819.50. This represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,905 shares in the company, valued at $552,716.70. The trade was a 20.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.