Rep. Rick W. Allen Purchases Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Representative Rick W. Allen (R-Georgia) recently bought shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL). In a filing disclosed on January 16th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $15,001 and $50,000 in Rollins stock on December 12th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “R.W. ALLEN & ASSOCIATES, INC. > RWA&A – SECURITIES” account.

Rollins Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:ROL traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $48.40. 1,986,853 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,451,933. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The business has a 50-day moving average of $48.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.96. Rollins, Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.41 and a twelve month high of $52.16. The company has a market capitalization of $23.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.42 and a beta of 0.75.

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 return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. The firm had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $911.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.28 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. This is a boost from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is 68.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total transaction of $735,730.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 124,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,195,794.32. This trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Rollins

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ROL. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. raised its stake in Rollins by 14.0% in the third quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 9,397,497 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $465,503,000 after buying an additional 1,154,722 shares in the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp purchased a new position in shares of Rollins during the third quarter worth about $43,225,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Rollins during the third quarter worth about $28,980,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 22.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,280,005 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $115,323,000 after purchasing an additional 420,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rollins by 535.2% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 261,379 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,115,000 after purchasing an additional 220,230 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROL has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.50.

About Representative Allen

Rick Allen (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Georgia’s 12th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2015. His current term ends on January 3, 2025. Allen (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Georgia’s 12th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2024 election. Allen won re-election in 2018 with more than 59 percent of the vote. Prior to his election to the U.S. House, Allen founded a small business which has, according to his office biography, “created thousands of jobs in the Augusta and Athens communities for more than 35 years.” He graduated from Auburn University with a degree in building construction. At the beginning of the 115th Congress, Allen was assigned to the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Allen was born in Augusta, Georgia, in 1951. He attended Auburn University in Alabama, graduating in 1973 with a B.S. in building construction. After earning his degree, Allen worked as an estimator, project administrator and assistant to the president with a construction firm in Augusta. In 1976, he founded his own construction business, R. W. Allen & Associates, Inc. The company operates in six states across the country. In 2008, Allen was presented with the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Person of the Year award.

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.