North Star Asset Management Inc. Lowers Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

North Star Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,373 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,105 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $15,539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $310.37.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total transaction of $75,500.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,260.96. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total transaction of $760,325.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $314,166.29. This trade represents a 70.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,839 shares of company stock valued at $2,014,256. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK stock traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $311.94. 288,008 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 874,975. The company's 50 day moving average is $263.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $276.95. The company has a market cap of $35.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $316.28.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. Rockwell Automation's revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.50 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.99%.

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.