Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Purchases 69,112 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 46.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 217,962 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 69,112 shares during the quarter. Rockwell Automation makes up approximately 1.3% of Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $62,291,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ROK. West Oak Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the 4th 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ROK shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Barclays cut 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 research report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $297.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was 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. This represents a 45.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was 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 $495,260.96. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923 over the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:ROK opened at $232.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $26.34 billion, a PE ratio of 29.01, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $266.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $276.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $215.00 and a 52-week high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.