PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Boosts Stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 6.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 60,187 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,713 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Rollins were worth $3,044,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rollins during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rollins during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Rollins by 43.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 774 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in shares of Rollins by 10,233.3% during the 2nd 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 period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

Rollins Price Performance

Rollins stock opened at $50.63 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $24.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.74 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.84. Rollins, Inc. has a 12-month low of $39.62 and a 12-month high of $52.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $911.15 million. Rollins had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. Rollins’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. This is a boost from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Insider Activity

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 transaction of $237,716.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 89,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,533,010.12. This represents a 4.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 transaction of $735,730.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 124,214 shares in the company, valued at $6,195,794.32. The trade was a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 24,120 shares of company stock valued at $1,209,993. Insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on ROL shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Rollins presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.83.

Rollins 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.