B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Invests $677,000 in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 13,387 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $677,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Rollins during the second quarter worth $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rollins during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 43.9% in the second quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 774 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its position in Rollins by 10,233.3% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 930 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at about $52,000. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of ROL stock opened at $50.63 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $49.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.52 billion, a PE ratio of 52.74 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Rollins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.62 and a 52 week high of $52.16.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.01). Rollins had a net margin of 14.18% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The company had revenue of $916.27 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $911.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.28 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS 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 given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This is an increase from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. Rollins’s payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ROL. Barclays started coverage on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rollins news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $4,274,129.97. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total value of $735,730.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 124,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,195,794.32. This represents a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 24,120 shares of company stock worth $1,209,993. Company insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

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.