Aviance Capital Partners LLC Acquires 3,997 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Aviance Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 285.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,395 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,997 shares during the quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,572,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 7,001 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,001,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,973 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $564,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 16,483 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,712,000 after acquiring an additional 2,179 shares during the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $11,952,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 431.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 335 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of ROK traded down $7.58 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $267.70. The company had a trading volume of 96,088 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,007,507. The company has a market capitalization of $30.52 billion, a PE ratio of 26.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $249.00 and a one year high of $348.52. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $266.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $281.52.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.01 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ROK shares. Mizuho dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Berenberg Bank restated a “hold” rating and set a $290.00 price objective (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $305.08.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 528 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.78, for a total transaction of $133,995.84. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $943,554.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Rockwell Automation news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.27, for a total transaction of $127,617.09. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,311,696. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 528 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.78, for a total value of $133,995.84. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $943,554.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 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.