Transcend Capital Advisors LLC Trims Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Transcend Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,691 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 114 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $294.95 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $286.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $277.17. The company has a market cap of $33.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.73, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the subject of several analyst reports. HSBC upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $308.05.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,089,000. This trade represents a 21.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 36,240 shares of company stock valued at $10,800,555. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.