HM Payson & Co. Reduces Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

HM Payson & Co. decreased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 7.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,873 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,128,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Bfsg LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth about $29,000. ESL Trust Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Security National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK stock traded down $11.15 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $253.47. 831,550 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 723,806. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $265.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $275.63. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $249.00 and a 1-year high of $317.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $28.90 billion, a PE ratio of 24.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 1.37.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.35. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 34.83%. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.01 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ROK. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Monday, July 8th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $256.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $312.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $294.17.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 659 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.11, for a total transaction of $171,412.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,204,309.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Rockwell Automation 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 value of $133,995.84. Following the completion of 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 659 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.11, for a total value of $171,412.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 4,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,204,309.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,199 shares of company stock valued at $572,750 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.