Rollins, Inc. $ROL Stake Reduced by Riverbridge Partners LLC

Riverbridge Partners LLC cut its stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 22.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,545,713 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 456,135 shares during the period. Rollins accounts for 1.7% of Riverbridge Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Riverbridge Partners LLC’s holdings in Rollins were worth $92,774,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROL. Mirabella Financial Services LLP acquired a new position in Rollins during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,739,000. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its position in Rollins by 11.0% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 158,775 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,958,000 after purchasing an additional 15,699 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 607.7% in the third quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 79,944 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,696,000 after purchasing an additional 68,647 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 40.9% in the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,087,262 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $63,866,000 after purchasing an additional 315,456 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Rollins by 78.0% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,282,659 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $128,788,000 after buying an additional 1,000,185 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In related news, Chairman Gary W. Rollins sold 19,094 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.26, for a total transaction of $1,207,886.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 5,322,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $336,699,388.94. This trade represents a 0.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jerry Jr. Gahlhoff sold 4,510 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.26, for a total value of $285,302.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 328,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,773,698.36. The trade was a 1.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 69,435 shares of company stock worth $4,321,384 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 4.47% of the company’s stock.

Rollins Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:ROL opened at $52.85 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $59.75 and a 200-day moving average of $59.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $25.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.80. Rollins, Inc. has a twelve month low of $49.73 and a twelve month high of $66.14.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by ($0.02). Rollins had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 38.16%. The company had revenue of $912.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $925.08 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.22 EPS. Rollins’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.1825 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.97%.

Key Rollins News

Here are the key news stories impacting Rollins this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment: a recent note reports Rollins, Inc. received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from brokerages, which can support demand for the stock if investors follow analysts’ guidance. Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Sports & entertainment coverage referencing people named “Rollins” (NBA, WWE) — not related to Rollins, Inc.; unlikely to affect the company’s stock. Examples: Ryan Rollins scoring a career high and articles about Seth Rollins/WrestleMania. Bucks lose 130-99 to Trail Blazers, Ryan Rollins scores career high
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional sports/WWE items (player profiles, fan reaction, promotional stories) — entertainment coverage sharing the Rollins name but not tied to the pest-control company. Rollins is shooting 40 percent, the same accuracy as
• Neutral Sentiment: Politics/local promotion: a “Product of USA” promotion announced by a person named Rollins at an Ag Day rally — unlikely to affect Rollins, Inc.’s financials. Rollins announces ‘Product of USA’ promotion at partisan Ag Day rally
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Ryan Rollins’ NBA emergence and human-interest pieces about that player — no material impact on Rollins, Inc. Ryan Rollins’ Emergence Brings Bucks Fans Hope
• Neutral Sentiment: Bloomberg note quoting a public official named Rollins on biofuels rule timing — appears policy-related and not directly tied to Rollins, Inc.’s pest-control business. US Moving at ‘Warp Speed’ to Finish Biofuels Rules, Rollins Says
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings/technical pressure: Rollins missed Q4 EPS ($0.25 vs. $0.27 est.) and reported revenue below estimates ($912.9M vs. $925.1M), though revenue rose ~9.7% year?over?year. The stock trades below both its 50?day ($59.75) and 200?day ($59.02) moving averages, and valuation is elevated (P/E ~48.5). These factors help explain downward pressure on the share price as investors weigh growth vs. high valuation and the recent earnings miss.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $56.00 price objective on Rollins and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $70.00 price target on Rollins in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group set a $65.00 price target on Rollins in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $67.00 price target on Rollins and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.08.

Rollins Company Profile

Rollins, Inc (NYSE: ROL) is a provider of pest and termite control services operating through a network of subsidiaries and franchises. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company offers a broad range of pest management solutions for both residential and commercial customers, positioning itself as a specialist in protecting property and public health from pests and vectors.

Its service offerings include general pest control, termite inspection and treatment, bed bug remediation, mosquito and vector control, wildlife exclusion, and related specialty services.