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

Shares of Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $31.90.

Several brokerages have recently commented on RTO. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a report on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Rentokil Initial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research cut shares of Rentokil Initial from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th.

Rentokil Initial Stock Performance

Shares of Rentokil Initial stock opened at $23.83 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.16. Rentokil Initial has a 52-week low of $23.22 and a 52-week high of $34.67. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $26.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.81.

Rentokil Initial Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.224 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 188.0%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Rentokil Initial during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 10.8% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 9,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 970 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 50.5% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 1,098.7% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 9,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 8,306 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 60.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,650,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,511,135 shares in 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.