Gabelli Funds LLC Trims Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Gabelli Funds LLC trimmed its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 106,437 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,925 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Rockwell Automation worth $30,419,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,775 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,079,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,896 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $542,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,199,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,082 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $248.00 to $201.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Three 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $297.11.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation 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 directly owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,260.96. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock traded down $7.36 during trading on Monday, hitting $224.93. 206,658 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 864,062. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $308.70. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $263.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $275.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.01, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS 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 dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.33%. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 65.26%.

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.