Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Rollins (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.01, Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $999.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $988.77 million. Rollins had a net margin of 13.70% and a return on equity of 37.72%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.27 earnings per share.

Rollins Price Performance

ROL stock traded up $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $58.34. The stock had a trading volume of 933,892 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,913,089. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Rollins has a 52 week low of $45.34 and a 52 week high of $58.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.88 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $53.63.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid 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, August 11th. Rollins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ROL shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on shares of 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 company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $65.00 target price (up previously from $63.00) on shares of Rollins in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $61.00 target price on shares of Rollins and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $61.40.

Insider Activity

In other Rollins news, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 1,921 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.54, for a total value of $108,613.34. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,028 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,150,103.12. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman John F. Wilson sold 40,000 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chairman directly owned 662,727 shares in the company, valued at $37,623,011.79. This trade represents a 5.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.47% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 23,728 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,282,000 after buying an additional 6,859 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 5.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,812 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,663,000 after buying an additional 1,620 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 16.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,427 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $347,000 after buying an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 75.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 870 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.79% of the company's stock.

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.