Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Acquires 23,705 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 766.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,799 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 23,705 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $7,659,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% during the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on ROK. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $310.37.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total value of $75,500.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,260.96. This represents a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 6,839 shares of company stock worth $2,014,256 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK stock traded up $1.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $308.89. 664,567 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 874,193. The company has a market capitalization of $34.82 billion, a PE ratio of 38.47, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.00 and a 12-month high of $310.78. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $255.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $275.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.50 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.99%.

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.