Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Sells 1,459 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lowered its stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 16.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,203 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,459 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Rollins were worth $351,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ROL. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rollins in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Quent Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 43.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 774 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its position in Rollins by 10,233.3% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 930 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 921 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In other Rollins news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.74, for a total transaction of $237,716.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 89,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,533,010.12. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,686 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.82, for a total value of $224,084.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 95,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,543,999.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.74, for a total transaction of $237,716.90. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 89,338 shares in the company, valued at $4,533,010.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. 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. StockNews.com upgraded Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.83.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of Rollins stock opened at $50.15 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $49.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.50. Rollins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.19 and a 52 week high of $51.96. The company has a market capitalization of $24.28 billion, a PE ratio of 56.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.70.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27. Rollins had a net margin of 14.23% and a return on equity of 40.10%. The firm had revenue of $891.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $895.02 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.42%.

About Rollins

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.