Cerity Partners LLC Acquires 10,393 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 45.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,310 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,393 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Rollins were worth $1,685,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at about $479,000. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. increased its stake in Rollins by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 9,397,497 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $465,503,000 after purchasing an additional 1,154,722 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Rollins in the third quarter valued at approximately $400,000. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Rollins by 34.0% in the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,922 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $603,000 after purchasing an additional 3,026 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its stake in shares of Rollins by 1.9% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 13,283 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $672,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on ROL shares. Barclays assumed coverage on Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.83.

Rollins Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of ROL opened at $49.83 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market cap of $24.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.91 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $49.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.02. Rollins, Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.41 and a 12 month high of $52.16.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.01). Rollins had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. The firm had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $911.15 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.28 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This is an increase from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.75%.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In other news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total transaction of $735,730.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 124,214 shares in the company, valued at $6,195,794.32. This represents a 10.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total transaction of $236,545.65. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 84,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,274,129.97. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.69% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.