KBC Group NV Boosts Holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 3.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 147,092 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,236 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Rollins were worth $7,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Rollins in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Rollins by 43.9% in the second quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 774 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 10,233.3% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 930 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 921 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Rollins during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Barclays started 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 on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rollins has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.83.

Rollins Stock Down 0.4 %

ROL opened at $49.91 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.17 billion, a PE ratio of 51.99 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Rollins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.03 and a 52 week high of $52.16.

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

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This is a boost from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Rollins’s payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total value of $236,545.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 84,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,274,129.97. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 4.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Rollins 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.