9,230 Shares in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Acquired by Blueshift Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Blueshift Asset Management LLC has acquired a new position in Rollins, Inc., purchasing 9,230 shares valued at approximately $499,000.
• Rollins, Inc. reported a 12.1% year-over-year increase in revenue, with earnings per share of $0.30, surpassing analysts' expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.165, with a payout ratio of 65.35%, signifying ongoing financial health and commitment to shareholders.

Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 9,230 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $499,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Rollins by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 130,497 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $7,051,000 after buying an additional 5,318 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its position in Rollins by 19.7% during the 1st quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 78,900 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,263,000 after buying an additional 13,000 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in Rollins by 15.6% during the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 187,813 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $10,148,000 after buying an additional 25,355 shares in the last quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased its position in Rollins by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 21,468 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,153,000 after buying an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Rollins during the 1st quarter valued at about $428,000. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Rollins from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Barclays increased their price objective on Rollins from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Rollins from $52.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $65.00 price objective (up from $63.00) on shares of Rollins in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Rollins has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rollins news, Chairman John F. Wilson sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.77, for a total transaction of $2,270,800.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 662,727 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,623,011.79. This represents a 5.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.54, for a total value of $108,613.34. Following the transaction, the insider owned 38,028 shares in the company, valued at $2,150,103.12. This represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 71,921 shares of company stock worth $4,120,613 in the last quarter. 4.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of ROL traded up $0.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $57.70. The company had a trading volume of 1,919,634 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,700,949. Rollins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $45.34 and a 52-week high of $58.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.13 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $56.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.14.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $999.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $988.77 million. Rollins had a return on equity of 36.96% and a net margin of 13.70%. Rollins's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.27 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Rollins's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.35%.

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.