Wells Fargo & Company Boosts Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Price Target to $56.00

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) had its target price raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $54.00 to $56.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the business services provider’s stock.

ROL has been the topic of several other research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $48.17.

Rollins Price Performance

ROL stock opened at $50.14 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.28 billion, a PE ratio of 53.34 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $49.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.02. Rollins has a 52-week low of $32.19 and a 52-week high of $51.96.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.27. The firm had revenue of $891.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $895.02 million. Rollins had a net margin of 14.23% and a return on equity of 40.10%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.23 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Rollins will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.83%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.74, for a total value of $237,716.90. Following the sale, the insider now owns 89,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,533,010.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Rollins news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,686 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.82, for a total value of $224,084.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 95,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,543,999.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.74, for a total transaction of $237,716.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 89,338 shares in the company, valued at $4,533,010.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,056 shares of company stock valued at $698,347. 4.69% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rollins

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Rollins by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,438,440 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,500,927,000 after acquiring an additional 206,873 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rollins by 1.5% during the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 10,023,281 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $489,036,000 after purchasing an additional 148,316 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Rollins by 14.5% in the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,826,135 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $130,765,000 after purchasing an additional 357,535 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Rollins by 4.9% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,825,569 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $137,860,000 after purchasing an additional 133,100 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Rollins by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,156,892 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $105,247,000 after buying an additional 172,009 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is 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.