Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Rollins in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $49.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $49.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Rollins in a report on Thursday, December 21st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rollins has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.83.

Rollins Stock Down 1.3 %

ROL opened at $42.44 on Wednesday. Rollins has a one year low of $32.19 and a one year high of $47.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.71. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $44.50 and its 200-day moving average is $41.82. The company has a market capitalization of $20.56 billion, a PE ratio of 48.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.63.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The business services provider reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21. Rollins had a return on equity of 35.97% and a net margin of 14.15%. The company had revenue of $754.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $753.40 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.17 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Rollins will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In related news, CFO Kenneth D. Krause sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.18, for a total transaction of $230,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 99,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,575,422.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Rollins news, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 2,677 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.48, for a total value of $116,395.96. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $625,068.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kenneth D. Krause sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.18, for a total value of $230,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 99,078 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,422.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 22,824 shares of company stock valued at $994,558. Company insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Czech National Bank increased its position in Rollins by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 49,396 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,286,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Rollins by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 4,927 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $211,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in shares of Rollins by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 9,871 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rollins by 72.4% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 619 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Rollins by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 7,150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares in 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.