Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Stock Rated “Hold” by Wall Street Brokerages

Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have given a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $40.82.

Several research firms have weighed in on ROL. Weiss Ratings lowered Rollins from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Argus downgraded Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Rollins from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on Rollins from $44.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 29th.

Rollins Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE ROL opened at $34.65 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $33.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.73. Rollins has a 52-week low of $29.28 and a 52-week high of $66.14.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.34. Rollins had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 39.43%. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.35 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Rollins will post 1.14 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This is an increase from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.1825. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.97%.

Institutional Trading of Rollins

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raiffeisen Bank International AG grew its stake in Rollins by 73.5% in the second quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 642 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Westpac Banking Corp acquired a new stake in Rollins during the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. raised its stake in Rollins by 137.7% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 1,236 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 716 shares in the last quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Rollins during the second quarter valued at approximately $88,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Rollins by 38.7% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,166 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 604 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Rollins

Rollins, Inc is a provider of pest and termite control services for residential and commercial customers. The company offers protection against common pests such as ants, cockroaches, rodents, termites, mosquitoes and bedbugs, along with wildlife control and other specialty services.

Rollins serves customers through a portfolio of regional and international brands, including Orkin, the company’s best-known pest control business; HomeTeam Pest Defense; Western Pest Services; Critter Control; and other local and specialized operations.