Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Stock

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) had its target price raised by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $56.00 to $58.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price points to a potential upside of 18.93% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays started coverage on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rollins currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.00.

Rollins Price Performance

ROL opened at $48.77 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.80 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a 50-day moving average of $49.35 and a 200-day moving average of $49.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.78. Rollins has a 1-year low of $40.41 and a 1-year high of $52.16.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.01). Rollins had a net margin of 14.18% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The firm had revenue of $916.27 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $911.15 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Rollins will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total value of $236,545.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 84,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,274,129.97. This represents a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 124,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,195,794.32. The trade was a 10.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rollins

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins during the third quarter valued at $1,428,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in shares of Rollins in the third quarter worth about $5,102,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Rollins by 13.7% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 661,997 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,484,000 after acquiring an additional 79,546 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 3.6% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,236,421 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $60,325,000 after acquiring an additional 43,144 shares during the period. Finally, Montanaro Asset Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd now owns 248,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,544,000 after acquiring an additional 41,500 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

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.