Thematics Asset Management Has $15.64 Million Stock Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Thematics Asset Management reduced its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 58,258 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 10,494 shares during the period. Thematics Asset Management’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $15,640,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total value of $132,660.69. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,363,536. This trade represents a 8.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total transaction of $7,973,421.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 78,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 28,746 shares of company stock valued at $8,560,594. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE ROK traded down $4.51 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $294.19. 268,354 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 892,759. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $272.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $267.32. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $242.81 and a one year high of $312.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $33.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.64 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, September 5th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to purchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on ROK. Barclays lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $288.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $227.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $286.13.

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.