Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Reduces Stock Position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc cut its stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 212,027 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 8,605 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc's holdings in Rollins were worth $9,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Rollins during the 4th quarter valued at about $176,784,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in shares of Rollins by 389.2% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,770,131 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $128,396,000 after acquiring an additional 2,203,859 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Rollins during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $74,249,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Rollins by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,557,923 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $395,819,000 after acquiring an additional 1,282,508 shares during the period. Finally, BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments bought a new stake in Rollins during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,161,000. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on ROL. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Rollins from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Rollins from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $61.00 price target on Rollins and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $55.57.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ROL opened at $55.68 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $53.98 and its 200 day moving average is $50.76. The stock has a market cap of $26.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.00 and a beta of 0.79. Rollins, Inc. has a 1-year low of $45.00 and a 1-year high of $57.43. 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 (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22. Rollins had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 37.94%. The company had revenue of $822.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $817.09 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.20 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Rollins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.67%.

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider now owns 76,526 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,916,600.68. This represents a 14.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 3,224 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total transaction of $171,194.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 9,602 shares in the company, valued at $509,866.20. This represents a 25.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,259 shares of company stock worth $1,047,330. Company insiders own 4.47% 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.

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