Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Reaches New 1-Year High After Dividend Announcement

Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as high as $56.78 and last traded at $55.50, with a volume of 623 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $55.66.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is 68.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on ROL. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on 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 raised their target price on Rollins from $52.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Rollins from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $54.50.

Rollins Trading Down 1.3 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $52.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.10. The stock has a market cap of $26.64 billion, a PE ratio of 57.21 and a beta of 0.80. 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 (NYSE:ROL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.22. Rollins had a return on equity of 37.94% and a net margin of 13.76%. The company had revenue of $822.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $817.09 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In other news, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 1,921 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.78, for a total transaction of $99,469.38. Following the sale, the insider now owns 41,173 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,131,937.94. This trade represents a 4.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 76,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,916,600.68. This represents a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 20,259 shares of company stock valued at $1,047,330. Company insiders own 4.47% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rollins

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Rollins in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in Rollins in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Rollins in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in Rollins during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Rollins by 57.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 890 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.