Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) Shares Sold by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC cut its stake in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 2.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 85,732 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,106 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Rollins were worth $4,336,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ROL. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rollins in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rollins during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Rollins by 43.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 774 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake in Rollins by 10,233.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 921 shares during the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of ROL opened at $50.33 on Monday. Rollins, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.94 and a 1 year high of $52.16. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.01. The company has a market capitalization of $24.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.43 and a beta of 0.70. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.01). Rollins had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 14.18%. The business had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $911.15 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. This is a positive change from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In related news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total value of $236,545.65. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 84,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,274,129.97. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total value of $735,730.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 124,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,195,794.32. This trade represents a 10.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,120 shares of company stock worth $1,209,993 in the last 90 days. 4.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.