Blueshift Asset Management LLC Sells 25,535 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 80.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,223 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 25,535 shares during the quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Rollins were worth $315,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ROL. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in Rollins in the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Quent Capital LLC increased its holdings in Rollins by 43.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 774 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its position in Rollins by 10,233.3% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 930 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ROL. StockNews.com downgraded Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.83.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of Rollins stock opened at $51.16 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.78 billion, a PE ratio of 53.29 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.95. Rollins, Inc. has a one year low of $39.72 and a one year high of $52.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $911.15 million. Rollins had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. The company’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.28 EPS. Research analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.29%. This is an increase from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. Rollins’s payout ratio is 68.75%.

Insider Activity at Rollins

In other news, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total transaction of $735,730.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 124,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,195,794.32. The trade was a 10.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.74, for a total transaction of $237,716.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 89,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,533,010.12. The trade was a 4.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,120 shares of company stock valued at $1,209,993 in the last ninety days. 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.