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

Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 11,931,852 shares, an increase of 30.7% from the March 15th total of 9,126,691 shares. Approximately 2.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,065,406 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.9 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other Rollins news, CEO Jerry Jr. Gahlhoff sold 1,307 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.83, for a total transaction of $82,118.81. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 327,079 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,550,373.57. The trade was a 0.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman John F. Wilson sold 5,344 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.83, for a total transaction of $335,763.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 594,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,365,315.15. This trade represents a 0.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 67,039 shares of company stock worth $4,177,480 over the last quarter. Insiders own 5.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Rollins

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Rollins by 5.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,812 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,663,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Rollins by 16.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,427 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in shares of Rollins by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 23,728 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,282,000 after purchasing an additional 6,859 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 75.8% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 870 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 185.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 368,718 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $20,803,000 after purchasing an additional 239,361 shares in the last quarter. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Rollins News

Here are the key news stories impacting Rollins this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks preview — Notes Wall Street’s Q1 estimates for Rollins and highlights the key metrics (revenue drivers, recurring service mix, margin trends and other indicators) investors will be watching into the quarter; this has likely driven positioning ahead of the report. Gear Up for Rollins (ROL) Q1 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Orlando Sentinel review — Theater review titled “At Rollins, ‘Anastasia’ comes with old‑school charms”; unrelated to Rollins, Inc.’s business fundamentals or outlook. At Rollins, ‘Anastasia’ comes with old-school charms
• Neutral Sentiment: Wrestling / Seth Rollins coverage — Multiple pieces on WWE star Seth Rollins’ health, recovery and memorable moments (including updates that he’s ~80–90% recovered ahead of WrestleMania). These entertainment stories do not affect Rollins, Inc.’s operations. Examples: Sportskeeda, Fightful, Yahoo Sports. WWE Superstar picks Seth Rollins’ cash-in
• Neutral Sentiment: Daily Signal — Opinion piece on Rachael Rollins’ return to public office; political/legal topic unrelated to Rollins, Inc.’s business results or stock performance. Rachael Rollins’ Return

Rollins Trading Up 1.1%

ROL stock traded up $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $55.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,420,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,997,281. Rollins has a 12 month low of $51.77 and a 12 month high of $66.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $56.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.74. The company has a market cap of $26.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.84.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.27 by ($0.02). Rollins had a return on equity of 38.16% and a net margin of 14.00%.The company had revenue of $912.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $925.08 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.22 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Rollins will post 1.09 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were paid a $0.1825 dividend. This represents a $0.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 25th. Rollins’s payout ratio is 66.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ROL. Wells Fargo & Company set a $56.00 price target on Rollins and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group set a $58.00 target price on Rollins and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $70.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Rollins in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Rollins and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rollins presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.86.

About Rollins

Rollins, Inc (NYSE: ROL) is a provider of pest and termite control services operating through a network of subsidiaries and franchises. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company offers a broad range of pest management solutions for both residential and commercial customers, positioning itself as a specialist in protecting property and public health from pests and vectors.

Its service offerings include general pest control, termite inspection and treatment, bed bug remediation, mosquito and vector control, wildlife exclusion, and related specialty services.