Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Rollins (NYSE:ROL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Wednesday.

ROL has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays began coverage on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rollins presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $52.00.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ROL opened at $51.29 on Wednesday. Rollins has a 12 month low of $41.30 and a 12 month high of $52.83. The company has a market cap of $24.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.42 and a beta of 0.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is $48.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23. Rollins had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 37.94%. On average, equities analysts expect that Rollins will post 1.09 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.29%. Rollins’s payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Institutional Trading of Rollins

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 4th quarter worth about $176,784,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Rollins by 389.2% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,770,131 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $128,396,000 after purchasing an additional 2,203,859 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Rollins in the 4th quarter valued at $74,249,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Rollins by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,557,923 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $395,819,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 14.0% during the third quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 9,397,497 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $465,503,000 after purchasing an additional 1,154,722 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by 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.