Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 81,079 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,876,530 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 81,079 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 12.28% of Rockwell Automation worth $3,965,774,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. West Oak Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $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 acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $355.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. BNP Paribas cut Rockwell Automation from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $307.42.

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Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:ROK traded down $0.64 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $268.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 382,684 shares, compared to its average volume of 843,995. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $242.81 and a one year high of $308.70. The business's 50-day moving average is $279.76 and its 200-day moving average is $278.72. 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 company has a market cap of $30.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. Equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.95%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $552,716.70. This trade represents a 20.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This represents a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 over the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.