Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.

Key Points

• Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. reduced its stake in Rockwell Automation by 42.6% in the first quarter, selling 31,125 shares and now holding 41,870 shares valued at approximately $10.8 million.
• Insider transactions included <$strong>5,818 shares sold by executives in the last quarter, indicating a decrease in their ownership stakes.
• Rockwell Automation reported a $2.82 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing estimates and reflecting a 4.5% increase in revenue year-over-year.

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. lessened its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 42.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,870 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 31,125 shares during the period. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $10,818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,424 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,401,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $608,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,652 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $281,000. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 128.7% during the 1st quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 4,382 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 2,466 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 289 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.33, for a total transaction of $94,309.37. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,196 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,042,950.68. This trade represents a 8.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 363 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.32, for a total value of $118,454.16. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,325,838.16. This trade represents a 8.20% 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 valued at $1,944,708 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays set a $370.00 target price on Rockwell Automation and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $371.00 to $363.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and set a $392.00 price target (up previously from $371.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Loop Capital boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $381.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.16.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $342.95 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.56 billion, a PE ratio of 40.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $360.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $339.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $296.24.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.03% and a return on equity of 30.14%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. Analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.50%.

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.

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