Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Shares Purchased by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 23.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 213,928 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 39,985 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings in Rollins were worth $9,916,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Eastern Bank lifted its stake in Rollins by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 50,410 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,337,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the period. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rollins by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC now owns 38,120 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,767,000 after buying an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 37,794 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,752,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Rollins by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,429 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its position in Rollins by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 3,325 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Rollins Price Performance

ROL stock traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $55.38. 153,425 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,709,850. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $26.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.69 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's 50 day moving average is $51.91 and its 200 day moving average is $49.80. Rollins, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.72 and a 12-month high of $56.26.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.23. Rollins had a return on equity of 37.94% and a net margin of 13.76%. On average, research analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Rollins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ROL shares. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on Rollins from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Rollins from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rollins presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $52.83.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In other Rollins news, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 3,224 shares of Rollins 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at $509,866.20. The trade was a 25.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.18, for a total value of $675,217.74. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,526 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,916,600.68. This trade represents a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 20,259 shares of company stock valued at $1,047,330. 4.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.