Rollins (NYSE:ROL) Upgraded at Citigroup

Citigroup upgraded shares of Rollins (NYSE:ROL) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report published on Monday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $49.00 price objective on the business services provider’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $32.00.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on ROL. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on shares of Rollins from $44.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Rollins from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $46.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $42.00 target price on shares of Rollins in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Rollins from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of Rollins from $42.00 to $35.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.56.

Rollins Stock Performance

Shares of Rollins stock opened at $38.42 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $33.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.00. The company has a market cap of $18.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.41, a PEG ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.62. Rollins has a one year low of $29.28 and a one year high of $66.14.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.34. Rollins had a return on equity of 39.43% and a net margin of 13.19%. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.35 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Rollins will post 1.14 EPS for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is a boost from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.1825. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.39%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raiffeisen Bank International AG increased its holdings in Rollins by 73.5% during the 2nd quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 642 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Heritage Family Offices LLP purchased a new position in shares of Rollins in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rollins during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rollins during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Rollins by 137.7% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 1,236 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 716 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Rollins

Here are a few of the latest headlines about ROL:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup upgraded Rollins, adding a positive analyst signal. Rollins Stock Rating Upgraded by Citigroup
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage revisited whether Rollins’ bull case survives an earnings miss: EPS matched expectations at $0.34, but revenue of $1.09 billion fell short of the $1.11 billion estimate, despite 6.2% year-over-year growth. The revenue shortfall may temper the bullish analyst outlook. Does Earnings Miss Change The Bull Case For Rollins?
• Negative Sentiment: A broader market article notes that Treasury yields near 5% are pressuring valuations across stocks. That interest-rate backdrop could weigh on Rollins’ valuation, though the coverage is not specific to the company’s operations. Bonds Are Paying 5% Again, and the Repricing Has Reached Every Corner of the Market

About Rollins

Rollins, Inc. is a global provider of pest and termite control services for residential and commercial customers. Its services include inspections, prevention and treatment for common household and business pests, as well as termite protection, mosquito control and wildlife removal. The company operates through brands including Orkin, HomeTeam Pest Defense and Clark Pest Control. Founded in 1948, Rollins expanded into pest control with its 1964 acquisition of Orkin, which remains one of its best-known brands.