Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Position Boosted by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 27.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,317 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 9,446 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Rollins were worth $2,054,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Rollins in the 4th quarter valued at about $176,784,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 2,203,859 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $74,249,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,282,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments acquired a new position in shares of Rollins during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,161,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.79% of the company's stock.

Rollins Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Rollins stock traded up $0.67 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $57.04. 4,439,260 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,735,300. Rollins, Inc. has a twelve month low of $45.00 and a twelve month high of $57.43. The company has a market cap of $27.64 billion, a PE ratio of 59.42 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $50.88.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22. Rollins had a return on equity of 37.94% and a net margin of 13.76%. The firm had revenue of $822.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $817.09 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.20 EPS. Rollins's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.16%. Rollins's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other news, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 3,224 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total value of $171,194.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $509,866.20. This represents a 25.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 1,921 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.54, for a total value of $108,613.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 38,028 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,150,103.12. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 22,180 shares of company stock worth $1,155,943 in the last ninety days. 4.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $61.00 price objective on Rollins and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Rollins from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $55.57.

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.