Voya Investment Management LLC Acquires 339,480 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 56.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 935,726 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 339,480 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC owned about 0.83% of Rockwell Automation worth $267,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ROK. Norges Bank bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at about $284,177,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 85,513.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 675,487 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $193,047,000 after buying an additional 674,698 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 102.3% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,287,731 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $368,021,000 after buying an additional 651,116 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,115,280 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,033,476,000 after acquiring an additional 432,934 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $580,095,000 after acquiring an additional 430,498 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on ROK shares. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $248.00 to $201.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. 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 report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $283.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $297.11.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total value of $248,810.28. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,057 shares in the company, valued at $300,219.71. The trade was a 45.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,075,923 over the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE:ROK traded up $0.76 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $247.30. 236,023 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 867,213. The business's 50-day moving average price is $256.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $274.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $27.96 billion, a PE ratio of 30.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $215.00 and a 12-month high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 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%. On average, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.26%.

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.