Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio reduced its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 42,595 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,927 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $11,435,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 34,209 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $9,184,000 after purchasing an additional 1,928 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 141.9% during the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 8,526 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,289,000 after buying an additional 5,002 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth $1,134,000. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 92.2% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 109,349 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,356,000 after buying an additional 52,450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87,545 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $23,502,000 after acquiring an additional 4,350 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Rockwell Automation news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total value of $7,973,421.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,115 shares in the company, valued at $23,327,482.45. This represents a 25.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total transaction of $83,967.12. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,184 shares in the company, valued at approximately $961,695.36. The trade was a 8.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 35,541 shares of company stock worth $10,586,674. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. HSBC raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays upgraded Rockwell Automation from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $301.17.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.9 %

ROK traded up $5.54 on Thursday, hitting $302.92. 1,331,765 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 891,456. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $279.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $269.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month high of $312.76. The company has a market cap of $34.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.64 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, September 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to purchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

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.