Schroder Investment Management Group Reduces Stock Position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Schroder Investment Management Group trimmed its holdings in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,042,367 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 78,889 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Rollins were worth $48,376,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allstate Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 4th quarter worth about $376,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in Rollins by 21.4% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 5,994 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 1,055 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 9,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 1,149 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rollins in the 4th quarter valued at $8,734,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Rollins in the 4th quarter valued at $176,784,000. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rollins Price Performance

Shares of ROL opened at $54.06 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $51.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.59. Rollins, Inc. has a twelve month low of $41.72 and a twelve month high of $54.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.22 billion, a PE ratio of 56.31 and a beta of 0.78.

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

Rollins Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In other Rollins news, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 3,224 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total transaction of $171,194.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $509,866.20. This trade represents a 25.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.18, for a total transaction of $675,217.74. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,526 shares in the company, valued at $3,916,600.68. This trade represents a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,338 shares of company stock valued at $945,882 in the last quarter. 4.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ROL shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group upped their target price on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $52.00.

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.