Franklin Resources Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 54.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 173,943 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 61,475 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Rollins were worth $8,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Rollins in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 4,272.2% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 787 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 769 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 10,233.3% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 930 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 921 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

Rollins Price Performance

Shares of ROL opened at $46.92 on Friday. Rollins, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.41 and a fifty-two week high of $52.16. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.24. The stock has a market cap of $22.72 billion, a PE ratio of 48.88 and a beta of 0.72. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.01). Rollins had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. The company had revenue of $916.27 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $911.15 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This is an increase from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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, StockNews.com lowered Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.00.

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 $4,274,129.97. The trade was a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total value of $735,730.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 124,214 shares in the company, valued at $6,195,794.32. This trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.