Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Buys 153,437 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 136.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 265,945 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 153,437 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.05% of Rollins worth $12,327,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Rollins by 4,272.2% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 787 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Rollins by 57.8% in 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 during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth about $71,000. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rollins Stock Up 0.2 %

ROL stock traded up $0.10 during trading on Friday, reaching $48.40. 1,986,853 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,451,933. The firm's 50 day moving average is $48.39 and its 200 day moving average is $48.96. The firm has a market cap of $23.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.42 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Rollins, Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.41 and a twelve month high of $52.16.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $911.15 million. Rollins had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. Rollins's revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This is a positive change from Rollins's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Rollins's dividend payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on ROL. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on Rollins in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rollins presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $51.50.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In other news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 4.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Rollins Company 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.