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

Shares of Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities 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.

RTO has been the subject of several recent research reports. 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

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in Rentokil Initial by 65.2% during the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 30.1% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 15,208.3% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,825 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 486.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Rentokil Initial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $59,000. 9.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rentokil Initial Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of RTO stock opened at $22.91 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $11.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.17, a P/E/G ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Rentokil Initial has a fifty-two week low of $20.60 and a fifty-two week high of $34.07. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.79.

Rentokil Initial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This represents a yield of 2.4%. Rentokil Initial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.