Swedbank AB Acquires 4,024 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Swedbank AB raised its holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 32.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 16,530 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,024 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Rollins were worth $836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Rollins in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Rollins in the second quarter worth $34,000. Quent Capital LLC raised its holdings in Rollins by 43.9% in the second quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 774 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in Rollins by 10,233.3% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 930 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Rollins in the third quarter worth $52,000. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Rollins Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of ROL stock opened at $51.16 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Rollins, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.72 and a 1 year high of $52.16. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $49.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.29 and a beta of 0.70.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). Rollins had a net margin of 14.18% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The business had revenue of $916.27 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $911.15 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This is an increase from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROL has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.83.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total value of $236,545.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 84,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,274,129.97. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of Rollins 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 124,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,195,794.32. The trade was a 10.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 24,120 shares of company stock valued at $1,209,993 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 4.69% 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.