Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Boosts Stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its stake in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 50.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 465,743 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 155,861 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned 0.10% of Rollins worth $22,439,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ROL. Eastern Bank grew its stake in Rollins by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 50,410 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,337,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its stake in Rollins by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 13,283 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $672,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 37,794 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,752,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 10,072 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $509,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Rollins by 25.7% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,429 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on ROL shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $52.00.

Rollins Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE ROL opened at $51.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Rollins, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.72 and a 12-month high of $53.72. The company has a market capitalization of $25.08 billion, a PE ratio of 53.95 and a beta of 0.78. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $49.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.37.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23. Rollins had a return on equity of 37.94% and a net margin of 13.76%. Equities analysts anticipate that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.18, for a total transaction of $675,217.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 76,526 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,916,600.68. This represents a 14.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 3,224 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total transaction of $171,194.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 9,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $509,866.20. This trade represents a 25.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 4.69% 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.