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

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on ROL. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, January 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Rollins has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

Rollins Price Performance

Shares of ROL stock traded down $1.34 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $50.58. 1,948,375 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,569,154. Rollins has a 52 week low of $41.72 and a 52 week high of $53.72. The stock has a market cap of $24.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.68 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $49.56 and its 200-day moving average is $49.40.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.23. Rollins had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 37.94%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Rollins will post 1.09 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rollins

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Rollins in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rollins in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in Rollins by 4,272.2% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.