Virtu Financial LLC Sells 16,432 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Virtu Financial LLC decreased its position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 70.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,900 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 16,432 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in Rollins were worth $349,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in Rollins during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,428,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 3rd quarter valued at $5,102,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 661,997 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $33,484,000 after acquiring an additional 79,546 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,236,421 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $60,325,000 after acquiring an additional 43,144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montanaro Asset Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 20.1% in the third quarter. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd now owns 248,000 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $12,544,000 after acquiring an additional 41,500 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rollins Stock Performance

NYSE:ROL traded down $0.33 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $48.22. The stock had a trading volume of 1,256,852 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,693,535. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.58 and a beta of 0.72. Rollins, Inc. 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 current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $49.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.23.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 14.18% and a return on equity of 38.67%. Rollins's revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.28 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. This is an increase from Rollins's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. Rollins's payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays began coverage on Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded Rollins from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Four investment 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.com, Rollins presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.00.

Insider Activity

In other Rollins news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction on 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. The trade was a 10.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total value of $236,545.65. Following the sale, the insider now owns 84,653 shares in the company, valued at $4,274,129.97. The trade was a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 4.69% 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.