Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Shares Bought by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP grew its holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 62.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 86,792 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 33,333 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Rollins were worth $4,023,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Rollins by 54.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 173,943 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,725,000 after buying an additional 61,475 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins in the third quarter valued at $1,428,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in shares of Rollins in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,102,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rollins by 13.7% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 661,997 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,484,000 after buying an additional 79,546 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Rollins by 22.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,280,005 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $115,323,000 after buying an additional 420,399 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In related news, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 1,921 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.78, for a total transaction of $99,469.38. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 41,173 shares in the company, valued at $2,131,937.94. The trade was a 4.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 76,526 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,916,600.68. The trade was a 14.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 18,338 shares of company stock worth $945,882 in the last quarter. Insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rollins has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $52.00.

Rollins Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of Rollins stock opened at $51.44 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.91 billion, a PE ratio of 53.59 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Rollins, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.72 and a 1 year high of $53.72. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $49.75 and its 200 day moving average is $49.42.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.23. Rollins had a return on equity of 37.94% and a net margin of 13.76%. Equities research analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. Rollins’s payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

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.