Wellington Management Group LLP Buys 674,698 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 85,513.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 675,487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 674,698 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $193,047,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 41.0% during the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.8 %

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $260.75 on Thursday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $308.70. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $277.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $278.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market cap of $29.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.47, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total transaction of $145,070.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $552,716.70. This trade represents a 20.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $329,114.56. This represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $280.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.42.

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.