Sentry Investment Management LLC Acquires 5,964 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Sentry Investment Management LLC grew its position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 574.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,003 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,964 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC's holdings in Rollins were worth $357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 29,192 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,353,000 after purchasing an additional 2,574 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of Rollins by 169.6% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,658 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 1,672 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 4th quarter worth about $4,943,000. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Rollins by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,022,325 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $47,385,000 after buying an additional 12,755 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of Rollins by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 151,548 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $7,024,000 after buying an additional 20,156 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rollins Trading Down 0.1%

ROL traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $57.78. 887,462 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,746,314. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $55.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.00 billion, a PE ratio of 60.18 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Rollins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $45.34 and a 52-week high of $58.65.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22. The firm had revenue of $822.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $817.09 million. Rollins had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 37.94%. The business's revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.20 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. Rollins's payout ratio is 66.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other news, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 1,921 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.78, for a total transaction of $99,469.38. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 41,173 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,131,937.94. This trade represents a 4.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman John F. Wilson sold 40,000 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.77, for a total value of $2,270,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 662,727 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,623,011.79. The trade was a 5.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,763 shares of company stock valued at $2,580,331 in the last three months. Company insiders own 4.47% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ROL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $61.00 price objective on Rollins and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Rollins from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays raised their price target on Rollins from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $56.75.

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.