Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $64.4167.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ROL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Rollins in a report on Friday, September 26th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded Rollins from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $55.00 target price on Rollins and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $63.00 price target on shares of Rollins and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th.

Rollins Price Performance

Rollins stock opened at $58.81 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.96 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Rollins has a 52-week low of $45.34 and a 52-week high of $61.84.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.03. Rollins had a net margin of 14.02% and a return on equity of 37.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share. Rollins’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Rollins will post 1.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $0.1825 dividend. This represents a $0.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This is a positive change from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.22%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 2,395 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.77, for a total transaction of $138,359.15. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 34,732 shares in the company, valued at $2,006,467.64. This trade represents a 6.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 4.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its position in Rollins by 379.6% in the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 65,134 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,826,000 after purchasing an additional 51,552 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Rollins by 27.1% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,336 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $196,000 after buying an additional 711 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Rollins by 37.5% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 12,455 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $734,000 after buying an additional 3,397 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in Rollins in the third quarter valued at about $424,000. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in Rollins during the third quarter worth about $2,298,000. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.