Rentokil Initial PLC $RTO Shares Sold by Stephens Inc. AR

Key Points

• Stephens Inc. AR has reduced its holdings in Rentokil Initial PLC by 46.4%, now owning 226,176 shares worth approximately $5.43 million after selling 195,538 shares in the second quarter.
• Analyst ratings for Rentokil Initial vary, with some upgrades from firms like Jefferies Financial Group and Sanford C. Bernstein, but Berenberg Bank issued a "strong sell" rating.
• The company has recently cut its dividend, with a dividend yield of 240% and a payout ratio of 21.85%, reflecting a strategic adjustment in its financial management.

Stephens Inc. AR decreased its position in shares of Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO - Free Report) by 46.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 226,176 shares of the company's stock after selling 195,538 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Rentokil Initial were worth $5,428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC acquired a new stake in Rentokil Initial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $317,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in Rentokil Initial by 115.5% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,282 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 687 shares in the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Rentokil Initial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $214,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its position in Rentokil Initial by 31.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 16,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 3,805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its position in Rentokil Initial by 397.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 2,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 2,034 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RTO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Berenberg Bank raised Rentokil Initial to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Zacks Research raised Rentokil Initial from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Rentokil Initial to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Rentokil Initial from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rentokil Initial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Rentokil Initial Stock Up 1.0%

NYSE RTO opened at $27.05 on Wednesday. Rentokil Initial PLC has a fifty-two week low of $19.60 and a fifty-two week high of $27.96. The stock has a market cap of $13.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a fifty day moving average of $25.34 and a 200-day moving average of $24.09.

Rentokil Initial Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $0.2738 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 240.0%. Rentokil Initial's payout ratio is currently 21.85%.

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.

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