The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Purchases 16,090 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 95,242 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 16,090 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.08% of Rockwell Automation worth $27,219,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on ROK. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $283.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. BNP Paribas upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $297.11.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.1 %

ROK stock traded up $0.27 during trading on Monday, hitting $253.92. 969,997 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 871,491. The company has a 50-day moving average of $252.47 and a 200-day moving average of $273.60. 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 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $308.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.71 billion, a PE ratio of 31.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. Analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.26%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,819.50. This represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total value of $75,500.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares of the company's stock, 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 have sold a total of 3,750 shares of company stock worth $1,075,923 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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.