Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy Rating

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

ROL has been the topic of several other reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rollins currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.00.

Rollins Price Performance

Shares of ROL stock opened at $46.68 on Friday. Rollins has a twelve month low of $40.41 and a twelve month high of $52.16. The stock has a market cap of $22.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.63 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s fifty day moving average is $48.87 and its 200 day moving average is $49.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $916.27 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $911.15 million. Rollins had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. The business’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Rollins will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rollins news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total transaction of $236,545.65. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 84,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,274,129.97. The trade was a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total value of $735,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 124,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,195,794.32. The trade was a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rollins

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ROL. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its stake in Rollins by 10,233.3% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 930 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Rollins by 3.9% during the second quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 23,326 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,138,000 after acquiring an additional 886 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 2nd quarter worth $393,000. iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Rollins by 147.1% in the 2nd quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 40,204 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,962,000 after purchasing an additional 23,933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in Rollins by 2.0% during the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 31,811 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,552,000 after buying an additional 618 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.