Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.83.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ROL shares. StockNews.com downgraded Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.74, for a total transaction of $237,716.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 89,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,533,010.12. This trade represents a 4.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total transaction of $735,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 124,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,195,794.32. This trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 24,120 shares of company stock worth $1,209,993. Company insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rollins

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 185.0% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 384,935 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $18,781,000 after buying an additional 249,860 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in Rollins by 4,697.4% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 324,109 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $14,997,000 after acquiring an additional 317,353 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Rollins in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,428,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Rollins in the second quarter worth $13,580,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Rollins by 13.7% during the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 661,997 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,484,000 after purchasing an additional 79,546 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

Rollins Trading Down 1.6 %

ROL stock opened at $50.33 on Friday. Rollins has a twelve month low of $39.94 and a twelve month high of $52.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.43 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.99.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $911.15 million. Rollins had a net margin of 14.18% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Rollins will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. This is an increase from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Rollins Company Profile

Rollins, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides pest and wildlife control services to residential and commercial customers in the United States and internationally. The company offers pest control services to residential properties protecting from common pests, including rodents, insects, and wildlife.