Advisors Asset Management Inc. Trims Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 13.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,380 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,003 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $5,539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Amundi lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $580,095,000 after buying an additional 430,498 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 33.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,556,292 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $417,802,000 after purchasing an additional 390,784 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $56,887,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $32,532,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 514,690 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $147,093,000 after purchasing an additional 106,257 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. HSBC raised Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $355.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $307.68.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction 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 $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $329,114.56. The trade was a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 3.7 %

Shares of ROK stock traded up $9.46 on Monday, reaching $268.25. 1,286,157 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 818,521. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $30.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $280.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $278.59. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS 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 anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. Rockwell Automation's 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.