Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 70 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Sentry Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 70 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $122,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,083,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 9,691 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,770,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK stock opened at $287.38 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $286.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $278.06. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $308.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.49 billion, a PE ratio of 35.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the subject of several research reports. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.55.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,741 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.67, for a total value of $516,502.47. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 80,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,825,271.03. This trade represents a 2.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,540 shares of company stock worth $1,935,134 over the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.