Marshall Wace LLP Invests $3.79 Million in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 77,635 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,788,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in Rollins in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rollins in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Quent Capital LLC raised its holdings in Rollins by 43.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 774 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in Rollins by 10,233.3% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 930 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Rollins by 114.2% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,604 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 855 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.83.

Rollins Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of ROL opened at $50.37 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $49.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.76. The stock has a market cap of $24.39 billion, a PE ratio of 56.60 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Rollins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.19 and a 52-week high of $51.96.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.27. Rollins had a net margin of 14.23% and a return on equity of 40.10%. The company had revenue of $891.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $895.02 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.23 EPS. Rollins’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,686 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.82, for a total transaction of $224,084.52. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 95,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,543,999.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.74, for a total value of $237,716.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 89,338 shares in the company, valued at $4,533,010.12. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,686 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.82, for a total value of $224,084.52. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 95,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,543,999.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,056 shares of company stock worth $698,347 in the last three months. 4.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.