Alliancebernstein L.P. Acquires 651,116 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 102.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,287,731 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 651,116 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 1.14% of Rockwell Automation worth $368,021,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,876,530 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,965,774,000 after purchasing an additional 81,079 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,648,137 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,247,839,000 after buying an additional 11,949 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $717,865,000 after buying an additional 14,040 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the 4th 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. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,570,036 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $448,701,000 after acquiring an additional 13,744 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

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Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Rockwell Automation stock traded down $12.61 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $226.55. The company had a trading volume of 1,069,830 shares, compared to its average volume of 875,779. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $276.11 and a 200 day moving average of $278.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $25.62 billion, a PE ratio of 28.28, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $218.48 and a one year high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is 65.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ROK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas lowered Rockwell Automation from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $307.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $552,716.70. The trade was a 20.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298 in the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.