World Equity Group Inc. Takes Position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

World Equity Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 5,318 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $246,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ROL. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 4,272.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 787 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Rollins by 57.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 890 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.18, for a total transaction of $675,217.74. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,526 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,916,600.68. The trade was a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 4.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Rollins from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Rollins from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Rollins from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Rollins from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Rollins from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

Rollins Stock Up 0.1 %

ROL stock opened at $51.36 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.50 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.69. Rollins, Inc. has a one year low of $41.72 and a one year high of $52.83. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $48.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.15.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released its 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 13.76% and a return on equity of 37.94%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.29%. Rollins’s payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

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.