National Pension Service Grows Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• The National Pension Service increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 13.6%, buying an additional 18,971 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total ownership to 158,687 shares valued at $41 million.
• Rockwell Automation reported a quarterly EPS of $2.82, surpassing analyst estimates of $2.67, and generated revenues of $2.14 billion for the quarter, up 4.5% from the previous year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.31 per share, which will yield 1.5% annually, and the dividend payout ratio stands at 61.50%.

National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 13.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 158,687 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,971 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.14% of Rockwell Automation worth $41,002,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Citizens National Bank Trust Department purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ROK shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $392.00 price objective (up previously from $371.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Monday, July 14th. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $381.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $360.00 to $410.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $375.00 target price (up previously from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.16.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE ROK traded down $4.5050 on Wednesday, hitting $339.0050. 422,783 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 943,515. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $339.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $297.13. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.00 and a 1-year high of $360.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.12 billion, a PE ratio of 39.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.39.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is currently 61.50%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.02, for a total value of $160,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,709 shares in the company, valued at $866,934.18. The trade was a 15.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 551 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.31, for a total transaction of $179,796.81. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 12,711 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,147,726.41. The trade was a 4.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,818 shares of company stock worth $1,944,708. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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.