Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

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

ROL has been the subject of a number of other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Rollins in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $49.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $49.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Rollins in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.83.

Rollins Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of Rollins stock opened at $42.44 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Rollins has a 12 month low of $32.19 and a 12 month high of $47.45. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.82. The stock has a market cap of $20.56 billion, a PE ratio of 48.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.63.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The business services provider reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21. Rollins had a return on equity of 35.97% and a net margin of 14.15%. The business had revenue of $754.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $753.40 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.17 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Rollins will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.05, for a total value of $410,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,709 shares in the company, valued at $4,093,054.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.05, for a total value of $410,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,709 shares in the company, valued at $4,093,054.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kenneth D. Krause sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.18, for a total value of $230,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 99,078 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,422.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,824 shares of company stock worth $994,558 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rollins

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in Rollins by 14.9% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 118,662 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,430,000 after buying an additional 15,393 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in Rollins during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,617,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in Rollins by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 171,348 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,498,000 after buying an additional 25,709 shares during the last quarter. Crown Oak Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Rollins during the fourth quarter worth approximately $9,547,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new position in Rollins during the third quarter worth approximately $98,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.79% 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.