Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Cyril Perducat Sells 1,000 Shares

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,089,000. This represents a 21.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK stock traded up $7.98 on Monday, reaching $298.84. 2,235,122 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 895,555. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $272.12 and a 200-day moving average of $267.32. The firm has a market cap of $33.74 billion, a PE ratio of 36.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month 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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.64 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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 dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

Rockwell Automation announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, September 5th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to buy up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on ROK. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $286.13.

About Rockwell Automation

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.