California Public Employees Retirement System Sells 12,404 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

California Public Employees Retirement System decreased its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 141,445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 12,404 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $40,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $260.75 on Thursday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $242.81 and a 52-week high of $308.70. The company has a market cap of $29.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.47, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $277.15 and its 200 day moving average is $278.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $490,242.93. This represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total transaction of $248,810.28. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,057 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $300,219.71. The trade was a 45.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays decreased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $280.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Three 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.42.

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.