Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on RTO shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of Rentokil Initial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 114.2% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 3,786,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,862,000 after buying an additional 2,018,866 shares during the period. Gates Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 21.0% in the fourth quarter. Gates Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,258,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,453,000 after purchasing an additional 1,084,845 shares during the period. Snyder Capital Management L P purchased a new stake in Rentokil Initial in the fourth quarter worth about $24,297,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 3.8% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 16,990,179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $423,573,000 after purchasing an additional 617,227 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Rentokil Initial during the third quarter valued at approximately $14,820,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.91% of the company’s stock.

Rentokil Initial Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of Rentokil Initial stock opened at $22.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.04. Rentokil Initial has a 52-week low of $20.60 and a 52-week high of $34.07. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $24.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.18, a P/E/G ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 1.14.

Rentokil Initial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.3825 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. Rentokil Initial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.71%.

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.