Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Acquired by Ceredex Value Advisors LLC

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 46.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 217,962 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 69,112 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation accounts for approximately 1.3% of Ceredex Value Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned 0.19% of Rockwell Automation worth $62,291,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,876,530 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,965,774,000 after buying an additional 81,079 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,734,430 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $779,426,000 after purchasing an additional 51,228 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position 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 worth $448,701,000 after purchasing an additional 13,744 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,417,323 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $405,057,000 after buying an additional 53,287 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. This represents a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,260.96. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on ROK. Loop Capital raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Stephens upgraded Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $297.11.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 3.9 %

Shares of ROK traded down $8.99 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $223.30. The company had a trading volume of 261,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 864,319. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $263.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $275.43. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.00 and a 1-year high of $308.70. 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 $25.25 billion, a PE ratio of 27.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. Research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 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.