Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Sold by Blair William & Co. IL

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL reduced its stake in Rockwell Automation by 4.3%, now holding approximately 276,929 shares worth around $91.99 million.
• Analysts have set new price targets for Rockwell Automation, with Bank of America upgrading its rating from "neutral" to "buy" and increasing the price target from $360 to $410.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $2.82, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.67, with a revenue increase of 4.5% year-over-year.

Blair William & Co. IL trimmed its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 276,929 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 12,437 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL owned approximately 0.25% of Rockwell Automation worth $91,987,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 2.7% in the second quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 5,500 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,827,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $208,000. DMC Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 8.0% during the second quarter. DMC Group LLC now owns 1,080 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $359,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 4.1% in the second quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 40,970 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $13,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.4% in the second quarter. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,169 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,374,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ROK. CICC Research started coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Monday, July 7th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $381.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $410.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $375.00 price target (up from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $392.00 target price (up from $371.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, September 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.68.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK stock opened at $347.73 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $344.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $313.47. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.00 and a 12 month 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 market capitalization of $39.10 billion, a PE ratio of 40.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.41.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.15. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.03% and a return on equity of 30.14%. The business had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.71 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 24,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.13, for a total transaction of $8,543,172.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 83,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,366,453.49. This represents a 22.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $87,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,662 shares in the company, valued at $581,700. The trade was a 13.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 31,922 shares of company stock valued at $11,191,812. 0.68% of the stock is currently 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.

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