Metis Global Partners LLC Purchases 614 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,680 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 614 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Rollins were worth $866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Rollins in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 769 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Rollins by 57.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 890 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Rollins during the third quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

Rollins Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of ROL stock opened at $52.50 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $48.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Rollins, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.72 and a 1-year high of $53.72. The company has a market cap of $25.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.68 and a beta of 0.76.

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

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.26%. Rollins’s payout ratio is 68.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rollins news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.18, for a total transaction of $675,217.74. Following the sale, the insider now owns 76,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,916,600.68. The trade was a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

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.