Ethic Inc. Sells 1,767 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Ethic Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 11.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 13,974 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,767 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $3,994,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 204,679 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $54,948,000 after acquiring an additional 11,161 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 920 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $263,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Czech National Bank increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 24,479 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,996,000 after acquiring an additional 1,365 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 1,074 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total value of $760,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $314,166.29. This trade represents a 70.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total transaction of $75,500.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,260.96. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,839 shares of company stock valued at $2,014,256 in the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on ROK. 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. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $308.89.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

ROK traded up $0.15 during trading on Thursday, reaching $307.69. 667,996 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 971,781. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $253.76 and a 200 day moving average of $274.49. The stock has a market cap of $34.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.32, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $310.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.50 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 65.99%.

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.