StockNews.com Upgrades Rollins (NYSE:ROL) to Buy

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

ROL has been the subject of several other research reports. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $49.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a report on Monday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Rollins from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.60.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of ROL opened at $49.37 on Wednesday. Rollins has a 12 month low of $32.19 and a 12 month high of $50.83. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $47.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market cap of $23.91 billion, a PE ratio of 55.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.70.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.20. Rollins had a return on equity of 37.73% and a net margin of 13.94%. The firm had revenue of $748.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.12 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.18 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Rollins will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rollins news, CEO Jerry Jr. Gahlhoff sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.20, for a total transaction of $566,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 288,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,625,271.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Kenneth D. Krause sold 3,331 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.50, for a total transaction of $158,222.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 90,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,310,482.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jerry Jr. Gahlhoff sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.20, for a total value of $566,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 288,671 shares in the company, valued at $13,625,271.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 20,331 shares of company stock valued at $949,623. Company insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rollins

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ROL. OLD National Bancorp IN purchased a new position in Rollins in the 2nd quarter valued at about $451,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rollins during the second quarter worth about $13,580,000. Simplicity Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 7.8% during the second quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 8,013 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $391,000 after acquiring an additional 577 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 42.5% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 10,133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $494,000 after acquiring an additional 3,020 shares during the period. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in Rollins by 2.1% during the second quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 19,186 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $936,000 after buying an additional 396 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.