Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $53.94 and last traded at $53.75, with a volume of 411999 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $53.05.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $52.00.

Rollins Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.69. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $50.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.52. The stock has a market cap of $26.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.92 and a beta of 0.78.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.23. Rollins had a return on equity of 37.94% and a net margin of 13.76%. Analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.75%.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In other Rollins news, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 3,224 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total value of $171,194.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 9,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,866.20. This represents a 25.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.18, for a total value of $675,217.74. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,526 shares in the company, valued at $3,916,600.68. The trade was a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 18,338 shares of company stock worth $945,882 in the last ninety days. 4.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Rollins

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Rollins by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 4,604 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Rollins by 45.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 33,310 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,685,000 after buying an additional 10,393 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in Rollins in the third quarter valued at about $3,041,000. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in shares of Rollins by 32.2% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 16,530 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $836,000 after acquiring an additional 4,024 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Rollins by 11.4% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 34,824 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,761,000 after purchasing an additional 3,564 shares during the period. 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.