Sciencast Management LP Has $2.94 Million Stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Sciencast Management LP grew its stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 102.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 63,485 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 32,135 shares during the quarter. Sciencast Management LP's holdings in Rollins were worth $2,943,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Eastern Bank increased its stake in Rollins by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 50,410 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,337,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 13,283 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $672,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the period. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC increased its position 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 valued at $1,767,000 after buying an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Rollins by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 37,794 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,752,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Motley Fool Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Rollins by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 10,072 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $509,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Rollins Stock Up 1.3 %

Rollins stock traded up $0.70 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $53.03. The stock had a trading volume of 2,513,244 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,566,355. Rollins, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.72 and a 1-year high of $53.80. 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 firm's fifty day simple moving average is $50.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.24 and a beta of 0.78.

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

Rollins Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.24%. Rollins's payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In other Rollins news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 76,526 shares in the company, valued at $3,916,600.68. This represents a 14.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 1,921 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.78, for a total value of $99,469.38. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,173 shares in the company, valued at $2,131,937.94. The trade was a 4.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,338 shares of company stock valued at $945,882. Insiders own 4.69% of the company's stock.

Rollins Company 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.