Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on ROL. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Rollins in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. They set a buy rating and a $49.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group reissued a neutral rating and issued a $49.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Rollins in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. They issued an equal weight rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rollins currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $46.83.

Rollins Price Performance

NYSE ROL opened at $42.51 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $44.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.63. Rollins has a 52-week low of $32.19 and a 52-week high of $47.45.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The business services provider reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.21. The firm had revenue of $754.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $753.40 million. Rollins had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 35.97%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.17 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Rollins will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Rollins’s payout ratio is 68.18%.

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In other news, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 2,677 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.48, for a total value of $116,395.96. Following the sale, the insider now owns 14,376 shares in the company, valued at $625,068.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Rollins news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 10,000 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.05, for a total transaction of $410,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 99,709 shares in the company, valued at $4,093,054.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 2,677 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.48, for a total transaction of $116,395.96. Following the sale, the insider now owns 14,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $625,068.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 22,824 shares of company stock worth $994,558. Insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rollins

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in Rollins by 14.9% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 118,662 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,430,000 after buying an additional 15,393 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in Rollins during the fourth quarter worth $1,617,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Rollins by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 171,348 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,498,000 after buying an additional 25,709 shares in the last quarter. Crown Oak Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 4th quarter valued at $9,547,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at $98,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.