Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Impax Asset Management Group plc

Impax Asset Management Group plc trimmed its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 98.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,757 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 450,074 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total transaction of $167,448.19. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,088 shares in the company, valued at $1,337,482.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Rockwell Automation news, CEO Blake D. Moret purchased 3,500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at $21,901,262.60. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total transaction of $167,448.19. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,088 shares in the company, valued at $1,337,482.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,877 shares of company stock worth $5,058,772 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on ROK. Berenberg Bank reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $290.00 target price (down from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. UBS Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $307.43.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 2.3 %

NYSE:ROK traded up $6.57 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $288.63. The stock had a trading volume of 915,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,029,447. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $252.11 and a twelve month high of $348.52. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $281.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $284.35. The company has a market capitalization of $33.07 billion, a PE ratio of 27.33, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). The business had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 12.06 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 47.57%.

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.