Stephens Inc. AR Acquires 638 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,112 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Rollins were worth $309,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Rollins by 0.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,438,440 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,500,927,000 after purchasing an additional 206,873 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Rollins by 1.5% in the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 10,023,281 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $489,036,000 after purchasing an additional 148,316 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its position in Rollins by 14.5% in the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,826,135 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $130,765,000 after purchasing an additional 357,535 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in Rollins by 4.9% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,825,569 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $137,860,000 after purchasing an additional 133,100 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Rollins by 8.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,156,892 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $105,247,000 after purchasing an additional 172,009 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROL opened at $49.05 on Friday. Rollins, Inc. has a twelve month low of $37.61 and a twelve month high of $51.96. The firm has a market cap of $23.75 billion, a PE ratio of 51.09 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.78. The business has a fifty day moving average of $49.52 and a 200-day moving average of $48.39.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the business posted $0.28 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research 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. Investors 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 yield of 1.35%. This is a positive change from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on ROL. Barclays started coverage on Rollins in a research report on Monday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. StockNews.com lowered Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total value of $236,545.65. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 84,653 shares in the company, valued at $4,274,129.97. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

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.