StockNews.com Downgrades Rollins (NYSE:ROL) to Hold

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

A number of other research firms have also commented on ROL. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $52.00.

Rollins Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of Rollins stock traded down $1.34 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $50.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,948,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,569,154. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Rollins has a 52-week low of $41.72 and a 52-week high of $53.72. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $49.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.40. The company has a market cap of $24.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.68 and a beta of 0.78.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced 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 return on equity of 37.94% and a net margin of 13.76%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Rollins will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 3,224 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total transaction of $171,194.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $509,866.20. This represents a 25.14 % 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 13,193 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,526 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,916,600.68. The trade was a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,338 shares of company stock worth $945,882. Insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rollins

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Rollins during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $176,784,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Rollins by 389.2% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,770,131 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $128,396,000 after acquiring an additional 2,203,859 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 4th quarter worth $81,747,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Rollins in the 4th quarter worth $74,249,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Rollins by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,557,923 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $395,819,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,508 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 51.79% 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.