Patton Fund Management Inc. Invests $3.22 Million in Rollins, Inc. $ROL

Key Points

• Patton Fund Management Inc. invested $3.22 million in Rollins, Inc., acquiring approximately 57,084 shares during the second quarter.
• Rollins has received upgrades from several analysts, with price targets raised by firms such as Wells Fargo and Jefferies, indicating a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.165 per share, yielding approximately 1.1%, with a payout ratio of 65.35%.

Patton Fund Management Inc. bought a new position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 57,084 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,221,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. City Holding Co. purchased a new position in shares of Rollins in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 961.4% in the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 605 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 548 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 73.0% in the 1st quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 806 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 75.8% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 870 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 75.0% in the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,078 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ROL shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Rollins from $59.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $65.00 price target (up previously from $63.00) on shares of Rollins in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Zacks Research cut shares of Rollins from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Rollins from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Rollins presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other news, Chairman John F. Wilson sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.04, for a total value of $1,741,200.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 632,727 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $36,723,475.08. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.47% of the company's stock.

Rollins Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of ROL stock opened at $58.45 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $57.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Rollins, Inc. has a 1 year low of $45.34 and a 1 year high of $59.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.87 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Rollins Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were issued a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Rollins's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.35%.

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.

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