Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 211,560 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,231,567 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 211,560 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 6.66% of Rollins worth $1,407,553,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Rollins during the 4th quarter worth approximately $256,862,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rollins by 40.6% in the third quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 9,293,419 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $346,923,000 after purchasing an additional 2,682,017 shares during the last quarter. APG Asset Management US Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the fourth quarter worth approximately $77,075,000. TD Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Rollins by 217.3% in the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,468,600 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $107,804,000 after purchasing an additional 1,690,668 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,089,000. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rollins Trading Up 1.0 %

Rollins stock opened at $49.75 on Thursday. Rollins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.19 and a 52 week high of $49.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $45.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $24.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.66.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.20. Rollins had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 37.73%. The business had revenue of $748.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.12 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.18 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Rollins, Inc. will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 9th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on ROL shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $49.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com raised Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Rollins from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jerry Jr. Gahlhoff sold 12,000 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.20, for a total transaction of $566,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 288,671 shares in the company, valued at $13,625,271.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Kenneth D. Krause sold 3,331 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.50, for a total transaction of $158,222.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 90,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,310,482.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jerry Jr. Gahlhoff sold 12,000 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.20, for a total value of $566,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 288,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,625,271.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,331 shares of company stock valued at $949,623 in the last quarter. 4.69% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.