Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Shares Purchased by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 7.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,083,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 4.7% in the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 990 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.1% during the second quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,501 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $413,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Second Line Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5.1% during the second quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 963 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ROK. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $288.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Barclays raised Rockwell Automation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 price target for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Two 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $301.17.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $289.79 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $283.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $271.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $312.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.64 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.31 dividend. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.29%.

Rockwell Automation declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, September 5th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total value of $132,660.69. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at $1,363,536. This trade represents a 8.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.01, for a total transaction of $338,553.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 81,754 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,690,525.54. This trade represents a 1.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 35,541 shares of company stock worth $10,586,674 in the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Company 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.