FIL Ltd Purchases 45,862 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

FIL Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 20.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 265,307 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 45,862 shares during the quarter. FIL Ltd owned approximately 0.23% of Rockwell Automation worth $75,822,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $284,177,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 85,513.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 675,487 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $193,047,000 after buying an additional 674,698 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in 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 valued at $368,021,000 after buying an additional 651,116 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $580,095,000 after acquiring an additional 430,498 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $56,887,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of ROK traded up $0.69 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $234.11. 297,153 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 932,189. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $215.00 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The company has a market capitalization of $26.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company's fifty day moving average price is $267.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $276.41. 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 65.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $283.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. KeyCorp lowered their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays reduced their price target on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded 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 given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $297.11.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total value of $75,500.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $495,260.96. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 1,057 shares in the company, valued at $300,219.71. This represents a 45.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,075,923 over the last 90 days. 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.