Rollins, Inc. $ROL Position Lifted by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Asset Management One increased its Rollins stake by 83.8% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 368,980 shares valued at approximately $11.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 51.79% of the company.
• Rollins reported quarterly earnings of $0.34 per share, in line with estimates, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $1.09 billion but fell short of expectations. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.20 per share, implying a 2.3% yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with the stock carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $40.82, compared with a recent share price of $34.65.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 83.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 368,980 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 168,261 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.08% of Rollins worth $11,114,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Rollins in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,204,334,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,561,228 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $566,046,000 after acquiring an additional 488,046 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its position in shares of Rollins by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 3,669,234 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $195,974,000 after acquiring an additional 87,139 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Rollins by 3.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,858,888 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $152,686,000 after purchasing an additional 94,116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in Rollins by 73.3% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,879,120 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $100,365,000 after purchasing an additional 794,722 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rollins Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:ROL opened at $34.65 on Friday. Rollins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $29.28 and a 52 week high of $66.14. The stock's fifty day moving average is $33.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34. Rollins had a return on equity of 39.43% and a net margin of 13.19%. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.35 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.14 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from Rollins's previous quarterly dividend of $0.1825. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. Rollins's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $33.00 target price on shares of Rollins and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $42.00 price objective on Rollins in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Raymond James Financial set a $35.00 target price on Rollins in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup reduced their target price on Rollins from $46.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on Rollins from $44.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rollins presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.82.

Rollins Profile

Rollins, Inc is a provider of pest and termite control services for residential and commercial customers. The company offers protection against common pests such as ants, cockroaches, rodents, termites, mosquitoes and bedbugs, along with wildlife control and other specialty services.

Rollins serves customers through a portfolio of regional and international brands, including Orkin, the company's best-known pest control business; HomeTeam Pest Defense; Western Pest Services; Critter Control; and other local and specialized operations.

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