Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Upgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

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

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays assumed coverage on Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.00.

Rollins Stock Down 0.4 %

ROL stock opened at $46.68 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.63 and a beta of 0.72. Rollins has a 12 month low of $40.41 and a 12 month high of $52.16. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

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

Rollins Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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 sale, the insider now directly owns 84,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,274,129.97. The trade was a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total value of $735,730.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 124,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Rollins in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Rollins by 4,272.2% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 787 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

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.