Boston Family Office LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Boston Family Office LLC reduced its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.7%, now holding 75,495 shares, which accounts for about 1.4% of its portfolio.
• Several institutional investors have increased their positions, including Goldman Sachs, which raised its holdings by 11.8% to own 1,819,379 shares valued at $470 million.
• Rockwell Automation's stock saw a slight decline of 1.3%, with research analysts currently giving it an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target averaging $340.16.

Boston Family Office LLC lowered its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 75,495 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,131 shares during the quarter. Rockwell Automation comprises approximately 1.4% of Boston Family Office LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Boston Family Office LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Rockwell Automation worth $19,506,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 29,844.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 702,794 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $181,588,000 after buying an additional 700,447 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,115,280 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,033,476,000 after buying an additional 432,934 shares in the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 56.9% during the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 935,726 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $267,421,000 after buying an additional 339,480 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 289.6% during the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 416,893 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $119,144,000 after buying an additional 309,893 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter valued at $63,632,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.1%

Rockwell Automation stock traded up $0.3330 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $343.1530. The stock had a trading volume of 880,354 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,065,616. The stock has a market cap of $38.58 billion, a PE ratio of 40.28, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $360.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $339.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $296.81.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.15. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.03% and a return on equity of 30.14%. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.71 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $392.00 price objective (up previously from $371.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $345.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $375.00 target price (up previously from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.16.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,100 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.08, for a total transaction of $735,168.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $361,632.64. This trade represents a 67.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 526 shares of Rockwell Automation 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 directly owned 983 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $319,819.05. This trade represents a 34.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,818 shares of company stock worth $1,944,708 over the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by 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.