Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $52.16 and last traded at $52.06, with a volume of 316148 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $51.08.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.83.

Rollins Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $49.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.22 and a beta of 0.70. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $911.15 million. Rollins had a net margin of 14.18% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The business’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.28 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. This is a positive change from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is 68.75%.

Insider Activity

In other Rollins news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.74, for a total value of $237,716.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 89,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,533,010.12. This represents a 4.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rollins

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ROL. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 1st quarter worth about $252,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Rollins in the first quarter worth approximately $201,000. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Rollins by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 7,468 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $346,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its stake in Rollins by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 249,924 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $11,564,000 after purchasing an additional 8,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Rollins by 23.0% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 338,710 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $15,672,000 after purchasing an additional 63,264 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.