Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 49,302 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 437 shares during the period. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Rollins were worth $2,285,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ROL. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 54.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 173,943 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,725,000 after buying an additional 61,475 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Rollins in the third quarter worth about $1,428,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,102,000. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Rollins by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 661,997 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,484,000 after purchasing an additional 79,546 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Rollins by 22.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,280,005 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $115,323,000 after purchasing an additional 420,399 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on ROL. StockNews.com raised shares of Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on shares of Rollins in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $48.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rollins currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 value of $735,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 124,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,195,794.32. This trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Rollins Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:ROL opened at $50.08 on Friday. Rollins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.41 and a 52 week high of $52.16. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $47.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.17 and a beta of 0.76.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.75%.

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.