International Assets Investment Management LLC Reduces Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

International Assets Investment Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 53.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,616 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,832 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $417,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Knuff & Co LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 41.0% during the fourth 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. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 526 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.35, for a total transaction of $171,134.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $319,819.05. The trade was a 34.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 223 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.97, for a total transaction of $70,015.31. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,007,529.73. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,681 shares of company stock worth $2,382,987. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ROK shares. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $327.00 to $371.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $317.79.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE ROK traded up $3.82 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $330.03. 940,246 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 871,992. The stock has a market cap of $37.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.57, a PEG ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 1.38. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $295.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $281.59. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.00 and a 1-year high of $331.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The business's revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.99%.

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.