Retirement Systems of Alabama Cuts Stock Position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Retirement Systems of Alabama trimmed its holdings in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 61,481 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 471 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Rollins were worth $3,110,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Rollins by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 10,023,281 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $489,036,000 after buying an additional 148,316 shares in the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Rollins by 14.0% in the third quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 9,397,497 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $465,503,000 after acquiring an additional 1,154,722 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Rollins by 2.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,275,415 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $366,821,000 after purchasing an additional 157,619 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Rollins by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,825,569 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $137,860,000 after purchasing an additional 133,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Rollins by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,167,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $109,655,000 after purchasing an additional 31,458 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

Rollins Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Rollins stock opened at $46.92 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market cap of $22.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.88 and a beta of 0.72. Rollins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.41 and a 52-week high of $52.16. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.23.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (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 return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. The company’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a $0.165 dividend. This is a positive change from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is 68.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays began coverage on Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 84,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,274,129.97. This represents a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly 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. 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.