Westfield Capital Management Co. LP Makes New Investment in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 100,877 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,102,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Rollins in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Rollins in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in Rollins by 43.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 774 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake in Rollins by 10,233.3% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 930 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 921 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rollins Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE ROL traded up $0.37 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $51.60. 2,523,864 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,702,525. Rollins, Inc. has a 12-month low of $39.72 and a 12-month 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $49.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.99 billion, a PE ratio of 53.38 and a beta of 0.70.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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). Rollins had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. The company had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $911.15 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.28 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. This is a positive change from Rollins's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. Rollins's payout ratio is 68.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ROL shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Rollins from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $49.83.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In related news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the business's 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 sale, the insider now directly 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total transaction of $236,545.65. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 84,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,274,129.97. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 24,120 shares of company stock worth $1,209,993. Company insiders own 4.69% of the company's stock.

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.