Townsquare Capital LLC Grows Stake in Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO)

Key Points

• Townsquare Capital LLC significantly increased its stake in Rentokil Initial PLC by 331.0%, acquiring 85,419 additional shares during the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 111,229 shares valued at approximately $2.547 million.
• Rentokil Initial recently announced a dividend payment of $0.2738 per share, with a dividend yield of 240.0%, and the ex-dividend date is set for August 15th.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on Rentokil Initial, with Deutsche Bank maintaining a "buy" rating while Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded it from "market perform" to "underperform."

Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO - Free Report) by 331.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 111,229 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 85,419 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in Rentokil Initial were worth $2,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in Rentokil Initial by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 90,687 shares of the company's stock worth $2,296,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in Rentokil Initial by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 13,043 shares of the company's stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 967 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Rentokil Initial by 63.9% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,287 shares of the company's stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 1,281 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Rentokil Initial by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 44,985 shares of the company's stock worth $1,030,000 after buying an additional 1,453 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Rentokil Initial by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 19,174 shares of the company's stock worth $485,000 after buying an additional 1,523 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on RTO shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Rentokil Initial from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th.

Rentokil Initial Trading Down 0.5%

Rentokil Initial stock opened at $25.14 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $12.70 billion, a PE ratio of 16.65, a P/E/G ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.92. Rentokil Initial PLC has a 12 month low of $19.60 and a 12 month high of $34.07. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $23.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Rentokil Initial Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.2738 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 240.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Rentokil Initial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.70%.

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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