John F. Wilson Sells 40,000 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Stock

Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) Chairman John F. Wilson sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.77, for a total transaction of $2,270,800.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 662,727 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,623,011.79. The trade was a 5.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Rollins Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE ROL traded up $1.33 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $58.58. 2,314,230 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,745,514. The company has a market cap of $28.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.02 and a beta of 0.79. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $55.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.53. 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 one year low of $45.34 and a one year high of $58.80.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22. The business had revenue of $822.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $817.09 million. Rollins had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 37.94%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.20 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. Rollins's payout ratio is 66.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a report on Monday. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Rollins from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Rollins from $52.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $56.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rollins

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ROL. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Rollins by 3.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,736,543 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,876,815,000 after acquiring an additional 999,797 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in Rollins by 0.4% in the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 10,243,636 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $553,464,000 after purchasing an additional 38,503 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rollins by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,557,923 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $395,819,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,508 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Rollins by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,267,060 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $197,778,000 after purchasing an additional 617,876 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Rollins during the 4th quarter worth $176,784,000. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.