Blue Trust Inc. Purchases 4,928 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 307.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,532 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,928 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Rollins were worth $319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Rollins by 0.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 206,873 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Rollins by 1.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 148,316 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position 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 worth $130,765,000 after purchasing an additional 357,535 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position 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 worth $137,860,000 after purchasing an additional 133,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position 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 worth $105,247,000 after purchasing an additional 172,009 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Rollins Stock Performance

ROL stock opened at $46.48 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.51 billion, a PE ratio of 49.45 and a beta of 0.70. Rollins, Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.58 and a 12-month high of $51.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.12.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $911.15 million. Rollins had a net margin of 14.23% and a return on equity of 40.10%. Rollins’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. This is a positive change from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is 63.83%.

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,686 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.82, for a total value of $224,084.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 95,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,543,999.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.74, for a total value of $237,716.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 89,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,533,010.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,686 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.82, for a total transaction of $224,084.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 95,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,543,999.86. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,056 shares of company stock worth $698,347 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Rollins has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.80.

Rollins Company 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.