D.A. Davidson & CO. Purchases Shares of 65,902 Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

D.A. Davidson & CO. acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 65,902 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,055,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. Creative Planning grew its holdings in Rollins by 27.1% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 23,169 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,172,000 after purchasing an additional 4,946 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Rollins by 307.2% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,532 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 4,928 shares during the last quarter. Axecap Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins in the third quarter worth $943,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Rollins by 4,900.2% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 83,154 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,206,000 after acquiring an additional 81,491 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Values First Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Rollins by 15.7% in the third quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 17,316 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $876,000 after acquiring an additional 2,353 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.79% of the company's stock.

Rollins Stock Performance

ROL traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $51.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,781,646 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,763,931. Rollins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.30 and a 52 week high of $52.83. The company's 50-day moving average is $48.23 and its 200-day moving average is $49.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $24.83 billion, a PE ratio of 53.42 and a beta of 0.76.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 EPS 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Rollins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rollins presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $52.00.

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.