Rathbones Group PLC Cuts Position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC reduced its holdings in Rollins, Inc. by 0.6%, now owning approximately 1.98 million shares valued at $107.12 million as of their latest SEC filing.
• Several hedge funds, including Vanguard and Northern Trust, have increased their stakes in Rollins, signaling confidence in the company's growth potential.
• Rollins recently posted a quarterly earnings report showing a 12.1% revenue increase year over year, outperforming analyst expectations with a net margin of 13.7%.

Rathbones Group PLC reduced its stake in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,982,660 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 11,625 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC owned approximately 0.41% of Rollins worth $107,123,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Security Financial Services INC. boosted its stake in shares of Rollins by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Security Financial Services INC. now owns 5,711 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. KFG Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Rollins by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. KFG Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,305 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $611,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. lifted its stake in Rollins by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 13,135 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $710,000 after buying an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Rollins by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,317 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $129,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Rollins by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,195 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $443,000 after buying an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman John F. Wilson sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.04, for a total transaction of $1,741,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 632,727 shares in the company, valued at $36,723,475.08. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 4.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Rollins Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE ROL traded down $0.61 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $57.51. 1,156,299 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,876,651. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.68. Rollins, Inc. has a twelve month low of $45.34 and a twelve month high of $59.10.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $999.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $988.77 million. Rollins had a net margin of 13.70% and a return on equity of 36.96%. The business's revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.27 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect 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 will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 1.1%. Rollins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.