Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $52.39 and last traded at $52.44, with a volume of 362487 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.10.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ROL shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on shares of Rollins in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Rollins from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rollins has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.50.

Rollins Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.96. The company has a market capitalization of $25.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.41 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last posted 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 14.18% and a return on equity of 38.67%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total value 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rollins

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ROL. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Rollins during the third quarter worth $28,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in Rollins during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Rollins during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new stake in Rollins during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Rollins by 4,272.2% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 787 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 51.79% 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.