Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Short Interest Update

Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,280,000 shares, a decline of 23.4% from the March 31st total of 9,500,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,060,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.5 days. Approximately 2.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed 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 for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Rollins from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $49.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rollins currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.00.

Rollins Trading Up 1.4 %

ROL stock traded up $0.63 during trading on Friday, hitting $44.90. The company had a trading volume of 1,688,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,861,357. The business has a 50-day moving average of $44.54 and a 200-day moving average of $42.19. Rollins has a one year low of $32.19 and a one year high of $47.45. The stock has a market cap of $21.76 billion, a PE ratio of 50.45, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.20. Rollins had a return on equity of 37.73% and a net margin of 13.94%. The business had revenue of $748.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $739.12 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.18 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Rollins will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. Rollins’s payout ratio is 67.42%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.05, for a total value of $410,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 99,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,093,054.45. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Rollins news, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 2,677 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.48, for a total transaction of $116,395.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 14,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $625,068.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.05, for a total value of $410,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,093,054.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 22,824 shares of company stock valued at $994,558. 4.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rollins

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ROL. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 72.4% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 619 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 139.7% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 755 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rollins in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Rollins in the 3rd quarter worth $47,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 224.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,603 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rollins Company 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.