Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Grows Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 9.5%, acquiring an additional 2,200 shares to hold a total of 25,395 shares worth $6.56 million.
• Several analysts have upgraded their ratings and price targets for Rockwell Automation, with Bank of America raising its price target from $360 to $410 and several others giving the stock an "overweight" rating.
• Rockwell Automation announced a quarterly dividend of $1.31 per share, representing a 1.5% yield, with an upcoming payment date of September 10th for stockholders of record as of August 18th.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 9.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,395 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $6,562,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ROK. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at $281,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 3,081 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $881,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at $248,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at $1,778,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

ROK traded down $0.0470 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $339.5730. The company had a trading volume of 126,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 941,938. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business has a 50-day moving average of $340.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $297.42. The company has a market cap of $38.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $360.92.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.07 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.14% and a net margin of 12.03%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 289 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.33, for a total transaction of $94,309.37. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,042,950.68. This trade represents a 8.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 526 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.35, for a total value of $171,134.10. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $319,819.05. This represents a 34.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,818 shares of company stock valued at $1,944,708. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Loop Capital upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Rockwell Automation from $371.00 to $363.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $345.00 target price on Rockwell Automation and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.16.

Rockwell Automation 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.