Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Rollins (NYSE:ROL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Monday morning.

ROL has been the topic of several other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Barclays started coverage on Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Rollins currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.50.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ROL opened at $49.59 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $48.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.91. The company has a market cap of $24.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.65 and a beta of 0.76.

Rollins Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In related news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total transaction of $735,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rollins

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ROL. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Rollins by 4.9% during the third quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 4,543 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the period. Eastern Bank boosted its position in Rollins by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 50,410 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,337,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in shares of Rollins by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 3,027 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $153,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its holdings in shares of Rollins by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 13,283 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $672,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rollins by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 37,794 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,752,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.