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

StockNews.com cut shares of Rollins (NYSE:ROL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group increased their target price on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays began coverage on Rollins in a report on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on Rollins in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $48.00 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.50.

Rollins Price Performance

NYSE ROL opened at $49.90 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $24.17 billion, a PE ratio of 51.98 and a beta of 0.76. Rollins has a 52 week low of $40.41 and a 52 week high of $52.16. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.92.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is 68.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rollins news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total value of $735,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 124,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,195,794.32. The trade was a 10.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Rollins

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Rollins in the fourth quarter worth $249,000. ICW Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 30,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,430,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares in the last quarter. Hershey Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rollins in the 4th quarter worth about $1,324,000. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Rollins by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 322,428 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $14,945,000 after purchasing an additional 51,304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Rollins during the 4th quarter valued at about $789,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

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.