Searle & CO. Has $3.82 Million Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Searle & CO. trimmed its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,293 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation accounts for approximately 1.0% of Searle & CO.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Searle & CO.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $3,817,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 8.7% during the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 23,236 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,643,000 after purchasing an additional 1,864 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 26,983 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,714,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 242.4% during the third quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 8,539 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,441,000 after purchasing an additional 6,045 shares during the period. Robbins Farley bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth $1,150,000. Finally, Financial Management Network Inc. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 6.9% during the third quarter. Financial Management Network Inc. now owns 3,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $871,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $310.08.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE ROK traded down $1.21 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $269.75. 840,586 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,006,361. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $30.91 billion, a PE ratio of 25.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.43. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $252.11 and a fifty-two week high of $348.52. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $282.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $283.34.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.46 EPS. Research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.57%.

Insider Activity

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

Rockwell Automation 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.