Rentokil Initial (LON:RTO) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Rentokil Initial plc (LON:RTO)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as GBX 494.50 and last traded at GBX 493.80, with a volume of 34822324 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 488.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on RTO. UBS Group upgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from GBX 430 to GBX 540 in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Rentokil Initial from GBX 540 to GBX 550 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and set a GBX 390 price objective on shares of Rentokil Initial in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Rentokil Initial from GBX 550 to GBX 575 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rentokil Initial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 461.43.

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average is GBX 463.28 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 436.27. The firm has a market cap of £12.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.41, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 111.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rentokil Initial news, insider Sally Johnson bought 2,676 shares of Rentokil Initial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 483 per share, for a total transaction of £12,925.08. Insiders own 2.82% of the company’s stock.

Rentokil Initial Company Profile

Rentokil Initial plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides route-based services in North America, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and internationally. It offers a range of pest control services for rodents, and flying and crawling insects, as well as other forms of wildlife management for commercial customers. The company provides hygiene services, including the provision and maintenance of products, such as soap and hand sanitizer dispensers, hand dryers, air care and purification, cubicle and surface sanitizers, feminine hygiene units, toilet paper dispensers, and floor protection mats.