Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Grows Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 92.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,596 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 5,091 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $3,290,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ROK. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth $335,000. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 11,884 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,397,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 3.3% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 98,292 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,099,000 after purchasing an additional 3,143 shares in the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.7% during the third quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 1,254 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 8.3% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 45,646 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,479 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE ROK traded down $5.70 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $265.11. 276,720 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,001,608. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.47, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.11. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $252.11 and a 52-week high of $348.52. The company’s 50-day moving average is $278.24 and its 200-day moving average is $283.58.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.35. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 34.83% and a net margin of 13.19%. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.05 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.01 EPS. Rockwell Automation’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.88%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.27, for a total value of $127,617.09. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,311,696. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $691,070. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.27, for a total value of $127,617.09. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,311,696. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,006 shares of company stock worth $4,822,904 in the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $312.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Berenberg Bank reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 price target (down from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have issued 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 $307.93.

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.