Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Buys Shares of 9,634 Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 9,634 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $479,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ROL. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Rollins by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 14,991 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $694,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. Natixis bought a new position in shares of Rollins in the first quarter worth approximately $493,000. Shell Asset Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Rollins in the first quarter worth approximately $376,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Rollins in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,590,000. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its position in Rollins by 1.8% during the first quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 161,839 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,488,000 after purchasing an additional 2,890 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rollins Stock Performance

NYSE ROL opened at $50.63 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.83. Rollins, Inc. has a 12-month low of $39.62 and a 12-month high of $52.16. The firm has a market cap of $24.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.74 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 0.34.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $911.15 million. Rollins had a net margin of 14.18% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The company’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.28 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. This is a boost from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ROL. Barclays started coverage on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 124,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,195,794.32. This trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the company’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 value of $237,716.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 89,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,533,010.12. The trade was a 4.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 24,120 shares of company stock valued at $1,209,993 over the last three months. 4.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.