Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A.

Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. lowered its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 16.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 114,866 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 23,378 shares during the period. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. owned 0.09% of Rockwell Automation worth $18,605,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 17.9% in the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,402 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,890,000 after buying an additional 4,760 shares during the last quarter. Boston Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 10.2% in the first quarter. Boston Advisors LLC now owns 6,510 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,014,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Lodestar Investment Counsel LLC IL increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.9% in the first quarter. Lodestar Investment Counsel LLC IL now owns 51,082 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,954,000 after buying an additional 1,930 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,315,000. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 27.7% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,119 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. 73.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE ROK) traded up 1.42% during midday trading on Monday, hitting $163.96. 388,999 shares of the company were exchanged. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $164.02 and a 200-day moving average of $157.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.44 and a beta of 1.17. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $111.52 and a 1-year high of $167.97.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The industrial products company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.12. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.04% and a return on equity of 40.71%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.55 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post $6.75 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 10th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.03%.

ROK has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $184.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 11th. BidaskClub upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 8th. Barclays PLC set a $176.00 target price on Rockwell Automation and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $153.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Gabelli upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $152.33.

In other news, SVP Frank C. Kulaszewicz sold 4,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $779,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,095 shares in the company, valued at $4,785,105. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 1,825 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.37, for a total transaction of $301,800.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 111,825 shares of company stock valued at $18,142,463 over the last 90 days. 1.65% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc (Rockwell Automation) is a provider of industrial automation power, control and information solutions for manufacturers. The Company operates through two segments: Architecture & Software and Control Products & Solutions. The Architecture & Software segment contains various hardware, software and communication components of the Company’s integrated control and information architecture capable of controlling the customer’s industrial processes and connecting with their manufacturing enterprise.