Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Sets New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $58.39 and last traded at $57.92, with a volume of 855362 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $57.25.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $61.00 price target on Rollins and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays increased their target price on Rollins from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $55.00 to $65.00 in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Rollins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on shares of Rollins from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rollins currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $56.75.

Rollins Stock Down 0.6%

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $55.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $28.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.40 and a beta of 0.79.

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 for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.22. Rollins had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 37.94%. The firm had revenue of $822.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $817.09 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.20 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. Rollins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rollins 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 value of $99,469.38. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 41,173 shares in the company, valued at $2,131,937.94. This trade represents a 4.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman John F. Wilson sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.77, for a total value of $2,270,800.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 662,727 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,623,011.79. This represents a 5.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 45,763 shares of company stock worth $2,580,331. Corporate insiders own 4.47% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rollins

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 29,192 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,353,000 after buying an additional 2,574 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Rollins by 169.6% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,658 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 1,672 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Rollins in the fourth quarter valued at $4,943,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Rollins by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 151,548 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $7,024,000 after acquiring an additional 20,156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 34.2% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 31,172 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,454,000 after purchasing an additional 7,939 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.