True North Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 5,658 Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

True North Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 5,658 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $262,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Rollins in the third quarter worth about $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rollins by 4,272.2% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 787 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 57.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 890 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Rollins in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rollins during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $71,000. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rollins Price Performance

Shares of ROL stock opened at $48.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.62 and a beta of 0.75. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $48.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.92. Rollins, Inc. has a one year low of $40.41 and a one year high of $52.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $916.27 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $911.15 million. Rollins had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on shares of Rollins in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Barclays began coverage on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total transaction of $735,730.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 124,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,195,794.32. This trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

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.