Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Sold by MCF Advisors LLC

Key Points

• MCF Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Rockwell Automation by 48.2% in the second quarter, now holding 1,176 shares worth $391,000.
• Rockwell Automation received favorable ratings from analysts, including an "overweight" from Stephens with a raised price target of $375.00, indicating positive sentiment in the market.
• The company reported earnings of $2.82 per share for the last quarter, surpassing expectations and reflecting a 4.5% revenue increase year-over-year.

MCF Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 48.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,176 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,095 shares during the quarter. MCF Advisors LLC's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $391,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Covea Finance grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 10.0% in the second quarter. Covea Finance now owns 64,709 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $21,494,000 after purchasing an additional 5,886 shares during the period. Kwmg LLC grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1.3% in the second quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 21,415 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,113,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares during the period. Abacus Planning Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the second quarter valued at approximately $337,000. Foster Group Inc. grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 15.4% in the second quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 1,026 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 4.1% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,832 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $941,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stephens reaffirmed 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. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $381.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $371.00 to $363.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.16.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.7%

ROK stock opened at $345.40 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.72. 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 $346.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $307.08. The firm has a market cap of $38.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.54, a PEG ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.41.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.82 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.71 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the vice president owned 1,662 shares in the company, valued at $581,700. The trade was a 13.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 24,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.13, for a total transaction of $8,543,172.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 83,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,366,453.49. The trade was a 22.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,922 shares of company stock valued at $11,191,812 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company 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.

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