Machina Capital S.A.S. Purchases 7,209 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Machina Capital S.A.S. increased its position in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 96.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,686 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 7,209 shares during the quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Rollins were worth $681,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ROL. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Rollins during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Rollins in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Rollins by 4,272.2% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 787 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Rollins by 57.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 890 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Rollins during the third quarter valued at $52,000. Institutional investors own 51.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 13,193 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.18, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Traci Hornfeck sold 3,224 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total value of $171,194.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,866.20. The trade was a 25.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Rollins Stock Performance

NYSE:ROL opened at $51.80 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Rollins, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.72 and a 12-month high of $53.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $49.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.95 and a beta of 0.78.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.23. Rollins had a return on equity of 37.94% and a net margin of 13.76%. Equities research analysts forecast that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.