Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Cuts Stock Holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lessened its position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Rollins were worth $776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. TD Asset Management Inc raised its stake in Rollins by 14.5% in the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,826,135 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $130,765,000 after purchasing an additional 357,535 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 268,067 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $11,706,000 after buying an additional 18,510 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,865,122 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $81,452,000 after buying an additional 160,373 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Rollins by 185.0% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 384,935 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $18,781,000 after buying an additional 249,860 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montanaro Asset Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Rollins by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd now owns 201,500 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,800,000 after buying an additional 19,000 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rollins Stock Performance

Rollins stock opened at $50.10 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.64. The stock has a market cap of $24.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Rollins, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.19 and a 1-year high of $50.87.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27. The firm had revenue of $891.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $895.02 million. Rollins had a return on equity of 40.10% and a net margin of 14.23%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.23 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROL has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, August 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.83.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In other Rollins news, CFO Kenneth D. Krause sold 3,331 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.50, for a total transaction of $158,222.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 90,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,310,482.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Rollins news, CFO Kenneth D. Krause sold 3,331 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.50, for a total value of $158,222.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 90,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,310,482.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jerry Jr. Gahlhoff sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.20, for a total value of $566,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 288,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,625,271.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 20,017 shares of company stock worth $948,707. Company insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

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.