Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO) Rating Lowered to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on RTO. UBS Group upgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Rentokil Initial from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of Rentokil Initial from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rentokil Initial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.50.

Rentokil Initial Stock Performance

NYSE:RTO opened at $30.34 on Monday. Rentokil Initial has a twelve month low of $22.72 and a twelve month high of $34.67. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $32.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of RTO. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 222.2% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in 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 buying 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 Rentokil Initial in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Rentokil Initial by 171.0% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. 9.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.