3,814,110 Shares in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Purchased by Norges Bank

Norges Bank bought a new stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,814,110 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $176,784,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Rollins by 45.4% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 33,310 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,685,000 after purchasing an additional 10,393 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 65.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 39,200 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,983,000 after purchasing an additional 15,574 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 5,993 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Rollins by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 65,252 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,300,000 after purchasing an additional 9,380 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rollins Stock Down 1.4 %

ROL opened at $53.04 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.25 and a beta of 0.78. Rollins, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.72 and a 12 month high of $54.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The business has a 50-day moving average of $50.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $49.56.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.23. Rollins had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 37.94%. On average, research analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Rollins’s payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ROL shares. UBS Group increased their target price on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $52.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In related news, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 1,921 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.78, for a total value of $99,469.38. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 41,173 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,131,937.94. This trade represents a 4.46 % 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, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 3,224 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total transaction of $171,194.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $509,866.20. This represents a 25.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,338 shares of company stock valued at $945,882. Company insiders own 4.47% 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.