Tempus Wealth Planning LLC Lowers Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Tempus Wealth Planning LLC lessened its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 6.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,527 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 311 shares during the quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Security National Bank purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Webster Bank N. A. purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the first quarter valued at $44,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ROK. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 price objective (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $312.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 4th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $305.08.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE ROK traded up $1.44 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $266.34. The stock had a trading volume of 405,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 982,755. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $249.00 and a 52-week high of $348.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $30.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 1.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $265.68 and a 200 day moving average of $280.85.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.05 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 34.83%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.01 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.88%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 248 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.37, for a total value of $63,579.76. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,246 shares in the company, valued at $1,088,547.02. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 528 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.78, for a total transaction of $133,995.84. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,718 shares in the company, valued at $943,554.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.37, for a total value of $63,579.76. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,088,547.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,199 shares of company stock valued at $572,750. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.