Nordea Investment Management AB Decreases Holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Nordea Investment Management AB trimmed its position in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 13.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 580,267 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 90,222 shares during the quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB owned approximately 0.12% of Rollins worth $26,924,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Rollins by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 9,397,497 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $465,503,000 after purchasing an additional 1,154,722 shares in the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,225,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Rollins during the third quarter worth approximately $28,980,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Rollins by 22.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,280,005 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $115,323,000 after buying an additional 420,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Rollins by 440.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 261,049 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $12,737,000 after buying an additional 212,789 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on ROL shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 27th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, November 4th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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, Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on shares of Rollins in a report on Tuesday. They issued a "hold" rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rollins has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $50.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of Rollins 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 124,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,195,794.32. This trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.69% of the company's stock.

Rollins Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of ROL stock traded up $0.63 on Wednesday, hitting $46.38. The stock had a trading volume of 2,701,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,659,678. The company's 50 day moving average price is $48.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.09. Rollins, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.41 and a 1 year high of $52.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.31 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.01). The business 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This is a boost from Rollins's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Rollins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.75%.

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.