Hilltop National Bank Sells 292 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Hilltop National Bank trimmed its holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,225 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 292 shares during the quarter. Hilltop National Bank’s holdings in Rollins were worth $149,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in Rollins in the 4th quarter worth about $848,000. Dudley & Shanley Inc. boosted its position in Rollins by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. now owns 455,750 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $21,124,000 after purchasing an additional 11,200 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Rollins by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,007 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $371,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Rollins by 57.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 890 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Rollins by 22.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,280,005 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $115,323,000 after purchasing an additional 420,399 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rollins Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of ROL opened at $46.11 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $48.54 and its 200 day moving average is $49.02. The company has a market capitalization of $22.33 billion, a PE ratio of 48.03 and a beta of 0.75. Rollins, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.41 and a 12-month high of $52.16. 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 (NYSE:ROL) last issued its 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 business had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $911.15 million. Rollins had a net margin of 14.18% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. Research analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a $0.165 dividend. This is an increase from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. Rollins’s payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rollins news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on ROL shares. StockNews.com cut Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on Rollins in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “hold” rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Five equities 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.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.83.

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.