First Trust Advisors LP Has $5.07 Million Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 12.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,746 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,527 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $5,072,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. West Oak Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ROK. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $297.11.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total transaction of $248,810.28. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,057 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $300,219.71. This represents a 45.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $490,242.93. This represents a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,075,923. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 11.8 %

ROK stock traded up $29.96 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $283.01. 2,254,562 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 871,670. The stock's fifty day moving average is $251.08 and its 200-day moving average is $273.39. The company has a market cap 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. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.00 and a 52-week high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.50 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is currently 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.