Values First Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,631 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $202,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. MJP Associates Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of Rollins during the fourth quarter worth about $235,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Rollins by 34.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 25,790 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,126,000 after buying an additional 6,571 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Rollins by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 240,604 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,507,000 after buying an additional 6,801 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in shares of Rollins by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,136,380 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $49,626,000 after buying an additional 18,050 shares during the period. Finally, Profit Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Rollins by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Profit Investment Management LLC now owns 106,330 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,643,000 after buying an additional 7,996 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ROL traded down $0.44 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $46.26. 1,365,334 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,962,550. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.71. Rollins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.19 and a 52 week high of $47.45. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $44.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.06.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The business services provider reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21. Rollins had a return on equity of 35.97% and a net margin of 14.15%. The company had revenue of $754.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $753.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.17 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 2,677 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.48, for a total value of $116,395.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 14,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $625,068.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 2,677 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.48, for a total value of $116,395.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 14,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $625,068.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kenneth D. Krause sold 5,000 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.18, for a total value of $230,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 99,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,575,422.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,824 shares of company stock worth $994,558 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROL has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com cut Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Rollins from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Rollins in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Rollins in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $49.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.83.

Rollins Company Profile

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.