Verus Capital Partners LLC Sells 125 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Verus Capital Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 5.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,098 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 125 shares during the quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,915 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $595,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 1,168 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $346,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 17.5% during the 1st quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 248 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 24.2% during the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of ROK stock traded up $4.31 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $289.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 231,634 shares, compared to its average volume of 982,608. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $249.00 and a 52-week high of $348.52. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $264.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $278.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $33.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.31, a PEG ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 1.37.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.05 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 34.83% and a net margin of 13.19%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.01 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.37, for a total transaction of $63,579.76. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,088,547.02. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 528 shares of the firm’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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $943,554.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.37, for a total value of $63,579.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 4,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,088,547.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,199 shares of company stock worth $572,750 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on ROK. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $312.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Mizuho cut their price target on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Citigroup cut their price target on Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Rockwell Automation from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $300.71.

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.