Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. Sells 1,935,165 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. trimmed its holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 20.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,462,332 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,935,165 shares during the period. Rollins accounts for about 4.0% of Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. owned 1.54% of Rollins worth $334,289,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Rollins by 54.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 173,943 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,725,000 after acquiring an additional 61,475 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,428,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,102,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rollins by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 661,997 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,484,000 after buying an additional 79,546 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Rollins by 22.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,280,005 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $115,323,000 after purchasing an additional 420,399 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In related news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $6,195,794.32. This represents a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on ROL shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on Rollins in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rollins presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.50.

Rollins Trading Down 0.3 %

ROL opened at $49.35 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $48.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Rollins, Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.41 and a 12 month high of $52.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.40 and a beta of 0.75.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 1.34%. Rollins’s payout ratio is 68.75%.

Rollins 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.