Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO) Stock Rating Upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus

Key Points

• Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Rentokil Initial from “hold” to “buy,” while Investec also recently raised its rating to “buy.”
• Despite mixed analyst opinions, Rentokil Initial has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $31.90, compared with its Monday opening price of $19.95.
• Institutional investors own 9.91% of the company, with several major funds—including Bank of America and Janus Henderson—recently increasing their holdings.

Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on RTO. Weiss Ratings cut Rentokil Initial from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $26.70 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Rentokil Initial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Investec upgraded shares of Rentokil Initial to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rentokil Initial presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $31.90.

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

NYSE RTO opened at $19.95 on Monday. Rentokil Initial has a twelve month low of $19.50 and a twelve month high of $34.67. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Institutional Trading of Rentokil Initial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RTO. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Rentokil Initial by 3.0% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 16,591,965 shares of the company's stock worth $522,329,000 after acquiring an additional 490,885 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Rentokil Initial by 60.7% in 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. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 29.0% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 837,035 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,350,000 after purchasing an additional 188,190 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 816,863 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,065,000 after purchasing an additional 40,024 shares during the period. Finally, Liberty One Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 625,994 shares of the company's stock worth $19,706,000 after purchasing an additional 44,823 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.91% of the company's stock.

About Rentokil Initial

Rentokil Initial plc is a business services company specializing in pest control, hygiene, and related workplace services. Through brands including Rentokil, Terminix, Initial, and Ambius, it provides commercial and residential pest management, washroom hygiene, restroom services, interior landscaping, and other solutions designed to support healthier, safer, and more productive environments.

The company serves customers across a broad range of industries, including healthcare, hospitality, food service, manufacturing, retail, and property management.

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