Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $34.50.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on RTO shares. UBS Group upgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Rentokil Initial from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 5th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised Rentokil Initial from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th.

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

Rentokil Initial stock opened at $33.52 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.16. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.27. Rentokil Initial has a 12 month low of $22.53 and a 12 month high of $34.67.

Rentokil Initial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.412 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 245.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 802 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 76.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new position in Rentokil Initial during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Rentokil Initial by 84.5% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Rentokil Initial by 171.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.91% of the company’s stock.

Rentokil Initial Company Profile

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.