Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Shares Purchased by Eastern Bank

Eastern Bank raised its stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,410 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the quarter. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Rollins were worth $2,337,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Rollins in the third quarter valued at $1,428,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Rollins by 54.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 173,943 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,725,000 after purchasing an additional 61,475 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth about $5,102,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Rollins by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 661,997 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,484,000 after purchasing an additional 79,546 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Rollins by 22.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,280,005 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $115,323,000 after buying an additional 420,399 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rollins Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE ROL opened at $46.51 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.78. Rollins, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.41 and a 1 year high of $52.16. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $48.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.99. The firm has a market cap of $22.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.45 and a beta of 0.75.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $911.15 million. Rollins had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. Rollins’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This is a boost from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ROL shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on Rollins in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $48.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other Rollins news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total transaction of $735,730.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 124,214 shares in the company, valued at $6,195,794.32. This represents a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 4.69% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.