Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Sold by Stephens Investment Management Group LLC

Key Points

• Stephens Investment Management Group LLC reduced its stake in Rockwell Automation by 6.6%, bringing its total holdings to 171,945 shares valued at approximately $57.1 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• CEO Blake D. Moret sold 24,400 shares for about $8.54 million, resulting in a 22.54% decrease in his ownership, while insiders have sold a total of 29,553 shares valued at over $10 million in the last 90 days.
• Rockwell Automation reported an EPS of $2.82 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and its stock is currently rated as a "Moderate Buy" by analysts with a consensus price target of $347.94.

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 171,945 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 12,222 shares during the quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned 0.15% of Rockwell Automation worth $57,115,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $281,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 15.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,720 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 77.2% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,517 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $9,177,000 after purchasing an additional 15,470 shares during the last quarter. XML Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.6% in the first quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 1,607 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.1% in the first quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 50,348 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $13,009,000 after purchasing an additional 1,532 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 24,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 83,873 shares in the company, valued at $29,366,453.49. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 365 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.44, for a total transaction of $127,180.60. Following the sale, the vice president owned 1,691 shares of the company's stock, valued at $589,212.04. This trade represents a 17.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,553 shares of company stock worth $10,361,079. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE:ROK opened at $354.07 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $39.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.56, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.41. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $215.00 and a one year high of $360.92. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $345.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $319.34. 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 (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ROK shares. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $363.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Monday, July 7th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $381.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of 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, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $347.94.

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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