6,220 Shares in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Purchased by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 6,220 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,778,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $284,177,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 85,513.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 675,487 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $193,047,000 after purchasing an additional 674,698 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 102.3% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,287,731 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $368,021,000 after purchasing an additional 651,116 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $580,095,000 after purchasing an additional 430,498 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,887,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded up $7.79 during trading on Thursday, hitting $247.62. 153,484 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 867,628. The stock has a market cap of $28.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.00 and a fifty-two week high of $308.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $259.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $274.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total transaction of $75,500.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $495,260.96. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total transaction of $248,810.28. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,057 shares in the company, valued at approximately $300,219.71. This represents a 45.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,075,923. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price 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. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $297.11.

About Rockwell Automation

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.