Rhumbline Advisers Lowers Position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Rhumbline Advisers reduced its stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 619,018 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 7,438 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.13% of Rollins worth $28,691,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Rollins by 54.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 173,943 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $8,725,000 after buying an additional 61,475 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,428,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,102,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Rollins by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 661,997 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $33,484,000 after buying an additional 79,546 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Rollins by 22.6% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rollins Stock Performance

Rollins stock traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $51.37. 540,121 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,725,631. Rollins, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.30 and a 12-month high of $52.83. 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 stock has a market cap of $24.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.51 and a beta of 0.76. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $48.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.08.

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

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Rollins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, November 4th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $52.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rollins currently has a consensus 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.