New York State Teachers Retirement System Reduces Stock Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lowered its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,873 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,559 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.08% of Rockwell Automation worth $26,542,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 1,377 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 95.8% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $667,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 99.1% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,187 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,482,000 after purchasing an additional 2,582 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $912,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 34,209 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $9,184,000 after purchasing an additional 1,928 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total value of $7,973,421.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,115 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,327,482.45. The trade was a 25.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 36,240 shares of company stock valued at $10,800,555. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE ROK traded down $1.88 on Wednesday, reaching $299.27. 658,271 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 849,005. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $286.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $276.50. The company has a market cap of $33.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.27, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.35. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 65.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens upgraded Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $308.05.

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.