Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Stock Price

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) had its price target upped by Morgan Stanley from $48.00 to $50.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the business services provider’s stock.

ROL has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays began coverage on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Rollins currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

Rollins Stock Performance

Rollins stock opened at $50.70 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.98. Rollins has a fifty-two week low of $40.41 and a fifty-two week high of $52.83. The stock has a market cap of $24.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.81 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.23. Rollins had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. As a group, analysts expect that Rollins will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.75%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rollins

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 74.5% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 17,682 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $894,000 after purchasing an additional 7,549 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Rollins by 157.7% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 10,028 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 6,137 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of Rollins by 27.1% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 23,169 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,172,000 after buying an additional 4,946 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 32.2% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 16,530 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $836,000 after buying an additional 4,024 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Rollins by 17.7% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 16,613 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $840,000 after buying an additional 2,497 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.