Blue Trust Inc. Raises Stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 22.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,007 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,475 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Rollins were worth $405,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Rollins during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Rollins by 4,272.2% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 787 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 769 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Rollins by 57.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 890 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Rollins in the 3rd quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at about $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rollins news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total value of $735,730.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 124,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,195,794.32. The trade was a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on ROL shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays started coverage on Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rollins presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.50.

Rollins Stock Performance

NYSE ROL opened at $49.47 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $23.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.53 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Rollins, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.41 and a 12-month high of $52.16.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.33%. Rollins’s payout ratio is 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.