Ancora Advisors LLC Has $2.19 Million Stock Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Ancora Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 22.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,674 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,385 shares during the quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $2,193,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $464,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,404 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,256,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 204,679 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $54,948,000 after buying an additional 11,161 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,347 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $671,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 462,537 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $132,554,000 after acquiring an additional 25,882 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $283.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Loop Capital lifted their price target 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, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $297.11.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,260.96. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,075,923. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK traded up $29.96 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $283.01. The stock had a trading volume of 2,254,562 shares, compared to its average volume of 871,669. 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 firm's 50 day moving average price is $251.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $273.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $308.70. The company has a market capitalization of $32.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.