Baker Avenue Asset Management LP Makes New Investment in Rollins, Inc. $ROL

Baker Avenue Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 34,094 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,924,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ROL. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Rollins during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 58.4% in the 2nd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 730 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 75.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 870 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. National Pension Service boosted its position in shares of Rollins by 75.0% during the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,078 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of Rollins by 587.7% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,176 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,005 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

Rollins Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:ROL opened at $60.53 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.34 billion, a PE ratio of 56.57 and a beta of 0.78. Rollins, Inc. has a 1 year low of $45.34 and a 1 year high of $61.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $58.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.40.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.03. Rollins had a net margin of 14.02% and a return on equity of 37.60%. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be paid a $0.1825 dividend. This represents a $0.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is a positive change from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. Rollins’s payout ratio is presently 68.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other news, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 2,395 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.77, for a total value of $138,359.15. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 34,732 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,006,467.64. This trade represents a 6.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.47% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ROL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $64.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Rollins in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Rollins from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $55.00 price objective on Rollins and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rollins presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $64.42.

Rollins Company 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.