Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

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

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on ROL. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday. Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on shares of Rollins in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Rollins presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.83.

Rollins Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE ROL traded up $0.63 on Wednesday, reaching $46.38. 2,701,390 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,659,678. The company has a 50 day moving average of $48.58 and a 200 day moving average of $49.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Rollins has a fifty-two week low of $40.41 and a fifty-two week high of $52.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.46 billion, a PE ratio of 48.31 and a beta of 0.75.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.01). The business 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Rollins will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In related news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total value of $735,730.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 124,214 shares in the company, valued at $6,195,794.32. This trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Rollins in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rollins by 4,272.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 787 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 57.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 890 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at about $52,000. Institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

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.