Alaska Permanent Fund Corp Cuts Stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp reduced its stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 19.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 144,961 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 35,206 shares during the period. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp’s holdings in Rollins were worth $6,330,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ROL. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 54.4% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 60,055 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,199,000 after buying an additional 21,161 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in Rollins by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 31,720 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,184,000 after acquiring an additional 2,190 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its stake in Rollins by 63.7% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,429 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $203,000 after acquiring an additional 2,112 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Rollins by 273.5% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 51,845 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,935,000 after acquiring an additional 37,966 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in Rollins by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 731 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rollins Price Performance

Shares of ROL stock traded up $1.19 during trading on Thursday, hitting $44.06. The company had a trading volume of 441,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,934,799. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $44.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Rollins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.19 and a 52 week high of $47.45.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.20. The business had revenue of $748.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.12 million. Rollins had a return on equity of 35.97% and a net margin of 14.15%. Rollins’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.18 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ROL shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Rollins in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $49.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com cut Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $49.00 price target on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.83.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In related news, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 2,677 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.48, for a total value of $116,395.96. Following the sale, the insider now owns 14,376 shares in the company, valued at $625,068.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Rollins news, CFO Kenneth D. Krause sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.18, for a total transaction of $230,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 99,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,575,422.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 2,677 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.48, for a total value of $116,395.96. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $625,068.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,824 shares of company stock worth $994,558 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Rollins 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.