Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Coverage Initiated at Canaccord Genuity Group

Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on shares of Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) in a research note published on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm issued a hold rating and a $48.00 price objective on the business services provider's stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on ROL. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday. StockNews.com raised shares of Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 27th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rollins currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $50.83.

Rollins Stock Up 0.1 %

ROL stock traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $45.69. 2,248,654 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,399,224. The firm has a market cap of $22.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.59 and a beta of 0.75. Rollins has a 1-year low of $40.41 and a 1-year high of $52.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $48.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.11.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.01). The company 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 company's revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.28 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Rollins will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This is an increase from Rollins's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Rollins's payout ratio is 68.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other Rollins news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total value of $735,730.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 124,214 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,195,794.32. This represents a 10.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 4.69% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rollins

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rollins in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Rollins by 4,272.2% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 787 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Rollins by 57.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 890 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at about $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.79% of the company's stock.

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.