Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Makes New Investment in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 17,000 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $742,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Rollins by 18.7% in the 3rd 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 shares of 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 worth $346,923,000 after acquiring an additional 2,682,017 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Rollins by 132.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,541,717 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $57,552,000 after acquiring an additional 877,240 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,992,323 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $149,033,000 after purchasing an additional 620,179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 42.8% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,960,295 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $73,178,000 after purchasing an additional 587,095 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.79% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on ROL. StockNews.com lowered Rollins from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $49.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Rollins from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, 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 for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Rollins presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $47.00.

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.05, for a total transaction of $410,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,709 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,093,054.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CFO Kenneth D. Krause sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.18, for a total transaction of $230,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 99,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,575,422.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.05, for a total transaction of $410,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,709 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,093,054.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 22,824 shares of company stock valued at $994,558. 4.69% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Rollins Price Performance

ROL stock traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $44.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,688,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,861,357. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Rollins, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.19 and a 12 month high of $47.45. The company has a 50 day moving average of $44.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.19.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20. The firm had revenue of $748.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.12 million. Rollins had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 37.73%. Rollins's revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.18 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Rollins's payout ratio is 67.42%.

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.