Sargent Investment Group LLC Acquires 58,693 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Sargent Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 877.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 65,383 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 58,693 shares during the quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Rollins were worth $3,039,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in shares of Rollins by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 3,325 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. purchased a new stake in Rollins in the fourth quarter worth about $745,000. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Rollins by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,022,325 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,385,000 after acquiring an additional 12,755 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 45.5% during the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 287,536 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $13,327,000 after buying an additional 89,899 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new stake in Rollins during the fourth quarter worth about $796,000. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rollins Stock Down 1.1 %

Rollins stock opened at $49.10 on Wednesday. Rollins, Inc. has a one year low of $40.41 and a one year high of $52.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $48.04 and a 200 day moving average of $48.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market cap of $23.78 billion, a PE ratio of 51.14 and a beta of 0.76.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Rollins’s payout ratio is 68.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.50.

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.