Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC

Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 21.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 714 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 196 shares during the quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $204,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC lifted 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total transaction of $145,070.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,905 shares in the company, valued at $552,716.70. This trade represents a 20.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $329,114.56. The trade was a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $260.09 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $282.10 and a 200-day moving average of $278.59. 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 capitalization of $29.41 billion, a PE ratio of 32.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $308.70.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas lowered Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price 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, Citigroup increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.68.

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.