Somerville Kurt F Trims Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Somerville Kurt F reduced its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 1.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,398 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,046 shares during the quarter. Rockwell Automation comprises about 2.5% of Somerville Kurt F's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Somerville Kurt F's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $14,314,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ROK. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 2.1% during the first quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 39,370 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $10,172,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Summit Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 11.0% during the first quarter. Summit Asset Management LLC now owns 5,044 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 4.1% during the first quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,570 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,956,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.5% during the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 8,729 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,255,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 128.7% during the first quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 4,382 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,132,000 after acquiring an additional 2,466 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 939 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.24, for a total transaction of $285,681.36. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $299,067.92. This represents a 48.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.02, for a total transaction of $160,010.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,709 shares of the company's stock, valued at $866,934.18. The trade was a 15.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,757 shares of company stock worth $3,138,220. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $381.00 target price on the stock. 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 note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $341.11.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.5%

Rockwell Automation stock traded up $1.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $358.87. The stock had a trading volume of 642,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 923,393. The company has a market capitalization of $40.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.20, a PEG ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $328.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $289.27. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $215.00 and a one year high of $360.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.99%.

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.