BNP Paribas Financial Markets Invests $5.70 Million in Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new position in Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 225,002 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,697,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Keystone Financial Services acquired a new position in Rentokil Initial during the fourth quarter worth $236,000. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC lifted its position in Rentokil Initial by 28.1% during the 4th quarter. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC now owns 160,000 shares of the company's stock worth $4,051,000 after buying an additional 35,100 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in Rentokil Initial by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 431,185 shares of the company's stock worth $10,918,000 after purchasing an additional 24,699 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in Rentokil Initial in the fourth quarter valued at about $257,000. Finally, Pacifica Capital Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rentokil Initial during the fourth quarter worth about $4,894,000. Institutional investors own 9.91% of the company's stock.

Rentokil Initial Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of RTO stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $23.56. The stock had a trading volume of 38,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 838,520. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 0.96. Rentokil Initial plc has a 12-month low of $19.60 and a 12-month high of $34.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm's 50-day moving average is $22.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.31.

Rentokil Initial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th were issued a $0.3825 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. Rentokil Initial's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on RTO shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Rentokil Initial from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

About Rentokil Initial

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.