Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Shares Acquired by Markel Group Inc.

Markel Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,407,275 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 24,000 shares during the quarter. Markel Group Inc. owned about 0.29% of Rollins worth $61,456,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Rollins by 18.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,020,007 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,195,307,000 after purchasing an additional 5,041,371 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Rollins by 40.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 9,293,419 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $346,923,000 after purchasing an additional 2,682,017 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Rollins by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,992,323 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $149,033,000 after purchasing an additional 620,179 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Rollins by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,165,604 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $118,172,000 after purchasing an additional 312,274 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Rollins by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,200,424 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $82,142,000 after buying an additional 363,386 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROL has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $49.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Rollins in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $49.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Rollins from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $52.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Rollins from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $47.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.05, for a total value of $410,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,709 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,093,054.45. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Rollins news, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 5,147 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.00, for a total value of $236,762.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 35,387 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,627,802. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.05, for a total transaction of $410,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 99,709 shares in the company, valued at $4,093,054.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 22,824 shares of company stock worth $994,558. 4.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Rollins Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of ROL traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $44.90. The stock had a trading volume of 1,685,554 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,958,394. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.11. The firm has a market cap of $21.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Rollins, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.19 and a fifty-two week high of $47.45.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.20. Rollins had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 37.47%. The business had revenue of $748.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.12 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.18 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Rollins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.42%.

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.

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