Rollins, Inc. $ROL Stock: Buckhead Capital Management LLC Increases Position

Key Points

• Buckhead Capital Management increased its Rollins stake by 41.4% in the third quarter, adding 28,532 shares to hold 97,414 shares valued at about $2.93 million. Institutional investors collectively own 51.79% of the company.
• Rollins reported quarterly EPS of $0.34, matching analyst expectations, while revenue of $1.09 billion fell short of estimates but rose 6.2% year over year. The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.20 per share.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with the stock carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average target price of $39.25. Shares opened at $37.96, and several firms recently downgraded their ratings or lowered price targets.

Buckhead Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 41.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 97,414 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 28,532 shares during the quarter. Buckhead Capital Management LLC's holdings in Rollins were worth $2,934,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Rollins in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,619,000. Amundi raised its position in Rollins by 71.4% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 1,851,904 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $77,300,000 after acquiring an additional 771,578 shares during the last quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. raised its position in Rollins by 8.8% during the second quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. now owns 495,655 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $20,689,000 after acquiring an additional 39,925 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its position in Rollins by 16.8% during the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 216,278 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $11,551,000 after acquiring an additional 31,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Rollins during the second quarter worth about $61,792,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.79% of the company's stock.

Rollins Trading Down 2.1%

Rollins stock opened at $37.96 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $33.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.37. Rollins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $29.28 and a 52 week high of $66.14. The stock has a market cap of $18.15 billion, a PE ratio of 34.83, a P/E/G ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

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

Rollins Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Rollins's previous quarterly dividend of $0.1825. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. Rollins's payout ratio is presently 66.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROL has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Rollins from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded Rollins from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $52.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Bank of America lowered Rollins from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $55.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Barclays set a $45.00 target price on Rollins and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $39.25.

Rollins Company Profile

Rollins, Inc is a global provider of pest and termite control services for residential and commercial customers. Its services include inspections, prevention and treatment for common household and business pests, as well as termite protection, mosquito control and wildlife removal.

The company operates through brands including Orkin, HomeTeam Pest Defense and Clark Pest Control. Founded in 1948, Rollins expanded into pest control with its 1964 acquisition of Orkin, which remains one of its best-known brands.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Rollins serves customers across the United States and in international markets.

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