Advisors Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 25.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 128,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,902 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Rollins were worth $5,974,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Eastern Bank grew its stake in shares of Rollins by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 50,410 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,337,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its holdings in Rollins by 1.9% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 13,283 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $672,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC boosted its position in Rollins by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC now owns 38,120 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,767,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 37,794 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,752,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Motley Fool Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Rollins by 3.0% in the third quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 10,072 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $509,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rollins Price Performance

NYSE:ROL opened at $52.06 on Thursday. Rollins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.72 and a 52-week high of $53.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $50.12 and a 200 day moving average of $49.45. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $25.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.23 and a beta of 0.78.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23. Rollins had a return on equity of 37.94% and a net margin of 13.76%. On average, research analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In other Rollins news, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 1,921 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.78, for a total transaction of $99,469.38. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.18, for a total transaction of $675,217.74. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,526 shares in the company, valued at $3,916,600.68. This trade represents a 14.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,338 shares of company stock valued at $945,882 in the last quarter. Insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ROL shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com lowered Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rollins currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $52.00.

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.