Impax Asset Management Group plc Lowers Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Impax Asset Management Group plc cut its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 81.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 15,744 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,033,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 279 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.13, for a total value of $82,620.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,891 shares in the company, valued at $856,111.83. This trade represents a 8.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,741 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.67, for a total transaction of $516,502.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 80,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,825,271.03. This trade represents a 2.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,540 shares of company stock worth $1,935,134 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.55.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE ROK opened at $288.58 on Wednesday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $308.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $32.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $286.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $278.00.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

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.