Sciencast Management LP Purchases 32,135 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Sciencast Management LP raised its position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 102.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,485 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,135 shares during the quarter. Sciencast Management LP’s holdings in Rollins were worth $2,943,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $393,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Rollins by 7.3% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 4,604 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Rollins by 28.5% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 168,637 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,530,000 after purchasing an additional 37,416 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in Rollins by 1,394.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 10,029 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $507,000 after purchasing an additional 9,358 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Rollins by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 90,831 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,594,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 1,921 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.78, for a total transaction of $99,469.38. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 41,173 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,131,937.94. This represents a 4.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 3,224 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total value of $171,194.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 9,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $509,866.20. This trade represents a 25.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,338 shares of company stock valued at $945,882. Corporate insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Rollins Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE ROL opened at $51.62 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Rollins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.72 and a 52 week high of $53.72. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $50.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.48. The company has a market cap of $25.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.77 and a beta of 0.78.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ROL. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $52.00.

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.