National Pension Service Purchases 8,893 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

National Pension Service grew its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 293,706 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 8,893 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.26% of Rockwell Automation worth $91,190,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 24.2% during the third 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock traded down $3.65 on Thursday, reaching $269.94. The company had a trading volume of 807,729 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,020,642. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $281.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $283.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.25. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $252.11 and a 52-week high of $348.52. The firm has a market cap of $30.93 billion, a PE ratio of 25.64, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.35. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 13.35%. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.01 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ROK shares. Barclays dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 price objective (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.93.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.52, for a total value of $140,260.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,383 shares in the company, valued at $1,229,519.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.52, for a total value of $140,260.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,229,519.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret purchased 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $283.64 per share, with a total value of $992,740.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,215 shares in the company, valued at $21,901,262.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 17,240 shares of company stock valued at $4,891,324. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.