Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Rollins (NYSE:ROL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Monday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on Rollins in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.50.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of Rollins stock opened at $49.69 on Monday. Rollins has a 52 week low of $40.41 and a 52 week high of $52.16. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $24.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.76 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $48.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.90.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.33%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total transaction of $735,730.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 124,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,195,794.32. This trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 4.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rollins

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Rollins by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 3,305 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $153,000 after buying an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Suncoast Equity Management raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Suncoast Equity Management now owns 40,625 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,883,000 after purchasing an additional 980 shares during the last quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC now owns 401,169 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $18,594,000 after purchasing an additional 8,546 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Rollins by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,952 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.79% 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.