Thematics Asset Management Purchases 19,000 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Thematics Asset Management grew its stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 565,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,000 shares during the period. Rollins makes up about 1.1% of Thematics Asset Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Thematics Asset Management’s holdings in Rollins were worth $28,578,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rollins during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Rollins during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Quent Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 43.9% in the second quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 774 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Rollins by 10,233.3% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 930 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 921 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In other Rollins news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.74, for a total transaction of $237,716.90. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 89,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,533,010.12. This trade represents a 4.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were 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 directly owns 124,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,195,794.32. This trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,120 shares of company stock worth $1,209,993. Company insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on ROL shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.83.

Rollins Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of ROL stock traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $51.38. 584,842 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,693,865. Rollins, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $39.72 and a fifty-two week high of $52.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $49.53 and its 200-day moving average is $48.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $24.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.38 and a beta of 0.70.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released 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). Rollins had a net margin of 14.18% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The business had revenue of $916.27 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $911.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.28 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. This is a boost from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.75%.

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.