Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires 159,997 Shares of Rollins, Inc. $ROL

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group increased its stake in Rollins by 200.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 159,997 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 239,941 shares worth about $14.4 million.
• Rollins reported quarterly earnings of $0.24 per share, matching analyst estimates, while revenue of $906.4 million came in above expectations and rose 10.2% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.1825 per share, and Wall Street currently rates the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $65.20.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 200.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 239,941 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 159,997 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Rollins were worth $14,401,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LRI Investments LLC boosted its stake in Rollins by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 2,293 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Rollins by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 18,874 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,109,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Keel Point LLC boosted its stake in Rollins by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 4,646 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 7,242 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the period. Finally, Greenleaf Trust lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 12,812 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $769,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 51.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on Rollins in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $66.00 price objective on Rollins and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $70.00 price objective on Rollins in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Rollins from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $67.00 price objective on Rollins and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.20.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In other Rollins news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 14,201 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.36, for a total value of $842,971.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 55,977 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,322,794.72. The trade was a 20.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Rollins Trading Up 0.0%

ROL stock opened at $53.48 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $54.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.35. Rollins, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.95 and a fifty-two week high of $66.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.24. The company had revenue of $906.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $895.17 million. Rollins had a return on equity of 38.37% and a net margin of 13.77%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.22 EPS. Analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.1825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $0.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Rollins's payout ratio is 66.97%.

Rollins Profile

Rollins, Inc NYSE: ROL is a provider of pest and termite control services operating through a network of subsidiaries and franchises. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company offers a broad range of pest management solutions for both residential and commercial customers, positioning itself as a specialist in protecting property and public health from pests and vectors.

Its service offerings include general pest control, termite inspection and treatment, bed bug remediation, mosquito and vector control, wildlife exclusion, and related specialty services.

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