Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Stock

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) had its target price hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $56.00 to $58.00 in a research report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the business services provider’s stock.

ROL has been the subject of a number of other research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.00.

Rollins Trading Down 2.2 %

NYSE ROL opened at $47.18 on Monday. Rollins has a one year low of $40.41 and a one year high of $52.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a market capitalization of $22.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.15 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.24.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.01). The company 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.28 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Rollins will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. This is a positive change from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total transaction of $236,545.65. Following the sale, the insider now owns 84,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,274,129.97. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rollins

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Rollins by 4.9% in the third quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 4,543 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in Rollins by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 3,027 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $153,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in Rollins by 16.4% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,766 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its holdings in Rollins by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 13,283 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $672,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its position in Rollins by 18.4% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 1,728 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

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.