Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Rollins, Inc. $ROL

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 2.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 716,632 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,792 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Rollins were worth $42,095,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Rollins during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rollins by 58.4% during the second quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 730 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rollins in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Rollins in the third quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth $47,000. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Rollins News

Here are the key news stories impacting Rollins this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintains a Buy rating and $72 price target, citing durable, defensive growth and a historical valuation discount — this supports upside versus the current price. Rollins: Durable, Defensive Growth at a Historical Valuation Discount Supports Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $68 and moved to an “overweight” rating — another analyst signal pointing to near-term upside. Benzinga Coverage of Wells Fargo PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly-earnings previews (Yahoo Finance / Barchart) note analysts expect a double-digit increase in Rollins’ bottom line for the upcoming quarter — good topline/earnings momentum could support the stock if results meet or beat expectations. Rollins’ Quarterly Earnings Preview: What You Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: An insider, Thomas Tesh, sold 2,396 shares of ROL — a disclosure to watch, but the size is small relative to Rollins’ market cap and not necessarily a directional signal. Thomas Tesh Sells 2,396 Shares of Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Stock
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece argues Rollins is trading at a “toxic valuation” and recommends Sell, stressing valuation risk despite growth — this kind of narrative can amplify selling pressure if earnings or guidance disappoint. Rollins: Stock Continues Rollin’ Higher, But At A Toxic Valuation – Sell

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $66.00 target price on Rollins and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Rollins and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Rollins in a research report on Friday, September 26th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of Rollins from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $60.00 to $72.00 in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $64.00 price objective on shares of Rollins in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins

In other news, Chairman John F. Wilson sold 1,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.40, for a total transaction of $90,288.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 607,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,090,667.80. The trade was a 0.25% 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 Thomas D. Tesh sold 2,396 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.06, for a total transaction of $143,903.76. Following the transaction, the insider owned 29,231 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,755,613.86. This trade represents a 7.58% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,707 shares of company stock worth $515,664. 4.47% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Rollins Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Rollins stock opened at $62.08 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $30.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.02 and a beta of 0.79. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $60.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $58.02. Rollins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.96 and a 52-week high of $62.72.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.03. Rollins had a net margin of 14.02% and a return on equity of 37.60%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share. Rollins’s revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a $0.1825 dividend. This represents a $0.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This is a positive change from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Rollins’s payout ratio is 68.22%.

Rollins Profile

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.