Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Rollins (NYSE:ROL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, January 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rollins presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $52.00.

Rollins Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROL opened at $51.44 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $24.91 billion, a PE ratio of 53.59 and a beta of 0.78. The company’s fifty day moving average is $49.75 and its 200 day moving average is $49.42. Rollins has a 52 week low of $41.72 and a 52 week high of $53.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23. Rollins had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 37.94%. Research analysts anticipate that Rollins will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Rollins’s payout ratio is 68.75%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 3,224 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total transaction of $171,194.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,866.20. This trade represents a 25.14 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.18, for a total transaction of $675,217.74. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,526 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,916,600.68. This trade represents a 14.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 18,338 shares of company stock valued at $945,882. Corporate insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Rollins during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Rollins during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Rollins during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Rollins by 4,272.2% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 787 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in Rollins in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.