Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $52.16 and last traded at $52.06, with a volume of 316148 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $51.08.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Barclays started 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. StockNews.com downgraded Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.83.

Rollins Stock Up 0.4 %

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $24.84 billion, a PE ratio of 54.07 and a beta of 0.70.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released 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 company had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $911.15 million. Rollins had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. The business’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This is an increase from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is 68.75%.

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total transaction of $236,545.65. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 84,653 shares in the company, valued at $4,274,129.97. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 4.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rollins

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rollins in the 1st quarter worth approximately $252,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Rollins in the 1st quarter worth approximately $201,000. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 7,468 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $346,000 after buying an additional 560 shares in the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 19.8% in the 1st quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,690 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $495,000 after buying an additional 1,767 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 14.5% in the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,826,135 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $130,765,000 after buying an additional 357,535 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.