KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Makes New $11.02 Million Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 38,570 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,023,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,648,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,247,839,000 after purchasing an additional 11,949 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,683,202 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $717,865,000 after buying an additional 14,040 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $580,095,000 after acquiring an additional 430,498 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,570,036 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $448,701,000 after acquiring an additional 13,744 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,128,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $303,041,000 after acquiring an additional 67,684 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $329,114.56. This represents a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $552,716.70. This trade represents a 20.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ROK shares. BNP Paribas downgraded Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays cut their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.68.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE:ROK opened at $268.25 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $279.98 and its 200 day moving average is $278.67. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The company has a market capitalization of $30.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. 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) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 65.26%.

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.