Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Stock Position Raised by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 850,726 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 35,578 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.75% of Rockwell Automation worth $243,135,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $1,348,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth about $464,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,404 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,256,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 204,679 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $54,948,000 after acquiring an additional 11,161 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,347 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $671,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $297.11.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of ROK traded down $0.29 on Friday, hitting $248.25. 511,449 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 869,365. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $308.70. The stock's 50 day moving average is $258.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. 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 (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.26%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now owns 1,057 shares of the company's stock, valued at $300,219.71. This represents a 45.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,075,923. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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.