Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $12.33 Million Stock Holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 136.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 265,945 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 153,437 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.05% of Rollins worth $12,327,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ROL. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,428,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 54.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 173,943 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,725,000 after acquiring an additional 61,475 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at $5,102,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 661,997 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,484,000 after purchasing an additional 79,546 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Rollins by 22.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,280,005 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $115,323,000 after purchasing an additional 420,399 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on Rollins in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, January 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rollins currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.50.

Rollins Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE ROL opened at $48.40 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.41 and a 52 week high of $52.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.42 and a beta of 0.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $48.39 and a 200-day moving average of $48.96.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $911.15 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This is a positive change from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Rollins’s payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rollins news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total transaction of $735,730.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 124,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,195,794.32. This trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

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.