Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Grows Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 61.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,592 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,751 shares during the quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $15,603,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. West Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% during the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total transaction of $75,500.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,260.96. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $248.00 to $201.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. KeyCorp dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $297.11.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK traded up $3.40 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $231.51. 1,447,309 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 867,917. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.18 billion, a PE ratio of 28.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company's 50 day moving average is $263.01 and its 200 day moving average is $275.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $215.00 and a one year high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

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.