Geneva Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Geneva Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 29.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 716,277 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 162,414 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Rollins were worth $33,199,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the third quarter worth $28,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Rollins by 4,272.2% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 787 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Rollins by 57.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 890 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the third quarter worth $52,000. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rollins Trading Up 0.2 %

Rollins stock opened at $52.62 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.33. The company has a market cap of $25.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.81 and a beta of 0.76. Rollins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.72 and a 52-week high of $53.72. 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 (NYSE:ROL) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. Rollins’s payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.18, for a total transaction of $675,217.74. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,526 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,916,600.68. The trade was a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 3,224 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total value of $171,194.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $509,866.20. This represents a 25.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on ROL. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, January 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $52.00.

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.