Intact Investment Management Inc. Takes Position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,400 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $71,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Rollins by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,438,440 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,500,927,000 after purchasing an additional 206,873 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rollins by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 10,023,281 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $489,036,000 after purchasing an additional 148,316 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Rollins by 14.5% in the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,826,135 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $130,765,000 after purchasing an additional 357,535 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rollins by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,825,569 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $137,860,000 after purchasing an additional 133,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Rollins by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,156,892 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $105,247,000 after purchasing an additional 172,009 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

Rollins Price Performance

Rollins stock opened at $48.55 on Wednesday. Rollins, Inc. has a 12-month low of $37.61 and a 12-month high of $51.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.57 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $49.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $911.15 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.28 earnings per share. Rollins’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. This is a boost from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total value of $236,545.65. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 84,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,274,129.97. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 4.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com cut shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.83.

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.