Matthew W. Fordenwalt Sells 223 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Stock

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 223 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.97, for a total transaction of $70,015.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,209 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,007,529.73. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE ROK traded up $2.36 on Wednesday, reaching $318.98. The stock had a trading volume of 872,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 876,030. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $35.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $266.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $277.83. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.00 and a 1-year high of $320.27.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Rockwell Automation's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.50 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 65.99%.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $281,000. Caprock Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,052 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $872,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,387 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $968,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 4,609 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,317,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verity Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,900 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $543,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays raised Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $283.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Friday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $316.21.

About Rockwell Automation

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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