Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 4.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,894 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bfsg LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. ESL Trust Services LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Security National Bank purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 528 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.78, for a total transaction of $133,995.84. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $943,554.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 528 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.78, for a total transaction of $133,995.84. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $943,554.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 659 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.11, for a total value of $171,412.49. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,204,309.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,732 shares of company stock worth $445,133 in the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded up $0.22 on Friday, reaching $266.74. The company had a trading volume of 140,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 930,183. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $242.81 and a 52-week high of $314.80. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $266.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $272.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.41 billion, a PE ratio of 26.05, a PEG ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.63. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 34.83% and a net margin of 13.19%. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.01 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho reduced their price target on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Rockwell Automation from $295.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $293.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Rockwell Automation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Monday, July 8th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $280.14.

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.