JPMorgan Chase & Co. Acquires 420,399 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 22.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,280,005 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 420,399 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.47% of Rollins worth $115,323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $393,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the second quarter worth $81,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Rollins by 11.1% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 58,017 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,831,000 after acquiring an additional 5,808 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Rollins by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 131,221 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $6,402,000 after purchasing an additional 8,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Rollins by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 43,573 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,126,000 after purchasing an additional 4,340 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.79% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on ROL shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays began coverage on Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $51.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total value of $735,730.00. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of ROL stock traded down $0.31 on Thursday, reaching $46.04. The stock had a trading volume of 1,052,870 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,694,040. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.41 and a 1 year high of $52.16. The stock has a market cap of $22.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.96 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.17.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last posted 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). 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 company posted $0.28 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect 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 given a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. This is a positive change from Rollins's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. Rollins's payout ratio is 68.75%.

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.