Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Boosts Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 58.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,000 shares during the quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $5,430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% during the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total transaction of $248,810.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,057 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $300,219.71. This trade represents a 45.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 5.0 %

Shares of ROK stock opened at $227.25 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $274.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $278.35. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $218.48 and a 1-year high of $308.70. The company has a market cap of $25.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average 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.