Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $34.50.

RTO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded Rentokil Initial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen cut Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded Rentokil Initial from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Zacks Research upgraded Rentokil Initial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on Rentokil Initial from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Rentokil Initial by 222.2% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 76.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new position in shares of Rentokil Initial in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 84.5% in the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,395 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 171.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. 9.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rentokil Initial Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of RTO stock opened at $31.38 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.86. Rentokil Initial has a 1 year low of $22.72 and a 1 year high of $34.67.

Rentokil Initial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th were paid a dividend of $0.412 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 10th. This represents a yield of 245.0%.

About Rentokil Initial

Rentokil Initial PLC is a global business services company specializing in pest control, hygiene and workwear services. Headquartered in Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom, the company delivers outsourced solutions designed to protect people, preserve assets and enhance workplaces for both commercial and residential customers.

Under the Rentokil Pest Control brand, the company offers services ranging from routine inspections and treatment of insects, rodents and birds to specialised programmes for food manufacturing and healthcare environments.