Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Purchases 1,552 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 46.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,911 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,552 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,404,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $518,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 9,691 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,770,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. KeyCorp raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $308.05.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total value of $83,967.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $961,695.36. This represents a 8.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction 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 $490,242.93. This trade represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 36,240 shares of company stock valued at $10,800,555. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $301.03 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.49, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.35. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $242.81 and a 12-month high of $308.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $286.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $276.17.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. On average, analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.