Westport Asset Management Inc. Buys Shares of 9,000 Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Aug 20th, 2026

Westport Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK – Free Report) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 9,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,456,000. Rockwell Automation comprises 1.8% of Westport Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 97.5% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth about $31,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ROK shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $514.00 target price on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $468.67.

Get Our Latest Report on Rockwell Automation

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 377 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.51, for a total value of $173,612.27. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,043,282.87. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $433.18 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.60, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.54. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $462.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $426.85. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $332.71 and a one year high of $497.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.11. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.39% and a return on equity of 39.83%. The business had revenue of $2.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is presently 51.73%.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, June 9th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Trending Headlines about Rockwell Automation

Here are the key news stories impacting Rockwell Automation this week:

Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised most earnings forecasts. Zacks Research increased its FY2026 EPS estimate to $13.15 from $12.86, FY2027 to $14.22 from $13.90, and FY2028 to $16.69 from $16.23. Estimates were also raised for several individual quarters, including Q4 2026, Q2-Q3 2027 and Q1-Q3 2028. The revisions suggest improving confidence in Rockwell’s earnings trajectory and provide a potential tailwind for ROK. Zacks Research earnings estimates
Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer described Rockwell as an attractive long-term opportunity. Although he called the stock’s chart “ugly,” Cramer recommended it as a strong long-term situation. That endorsement may support sentiment among retail and momentum-focused investors, even though it does not represent a change in company fundamentals. Jim Cramer commentary on Rockwell Automation
Neutral Sentiment: ROKLive Bangkok highlighted growth opportunities but offered no major financial update. Rockwell brought Thai manufacturing leaders together to discuss smart manufacturing, industrial automation and digital transformation. The event reinforces demand for Rockwell’s automation solutions, but the report did not include new bookings, revenue guidance or material contract announcements. ROKLive Bangkok 2026 article
Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution and valuation remain headwinds. Zacks maintained a “Hold” rating, while the broader consensus is also “Hold.” One Zacks revision trimmed Q1 2027 EPS modestly to $2.97 from $2.99. With Rockwell trading at roughly 34 times earnings and below its 50-day moving average, investors may be reluctant to add aggressively without stronger near-term catalysts. Rockwell Automation consensus Hold rating

Rockwell Automation Profile

(Free Report)

Rockwell Automation is a global industrial automation and digital transformation company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm designs, manufactures and supports control systems, industrial control hardware and software, and related services that help manufacturers and industrial operators automate processes, improve productivity and enable data-driven decision making. Rockwell traces its heritage to the Allen-Bradley and Rockwell automation businesses and positions itself as a provider of integrated automation solutions across discrete and process industries.

The company’s product portfolio includes programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), variable frequency drives, sensors, safety components and other industrial control hardware, often marketed under the Allen-Bradley brand.