Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Holdings Raised by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 23.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 213,928 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 39,985 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Rollins were worth $9,916,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Rollins by 57.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 890 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in Rollins in the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 292 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of ROL opened at $50.69 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.59 billion, a PE ratio of 52.80 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $51.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.71. Rollins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.72 and a 52-week high of $56.26.

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

Rollins Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays increased their price target on Rollins from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. StockNews.com cut Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $52.83.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In other Rollins news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.18, for a total value of $675,217.74. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 76,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,916,600.68. The trade was a 14.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 1,921 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.78, for a total value of $99,469.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,173 shares in the company, valued at $2,131,937.94. This represents a 4.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,338 shares of company stock valued at $945,882 over the last 90 days. 4.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.