Northern Trust Corp Raises Stake in Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO)

Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO - Free Report) by 94.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 462,657 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 225,214 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.09% of Rentokil Initial worth $11,714,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC grew its stake in Rentokil Initial by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 90,687 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,296,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the period. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Rentokil Initial by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43,532 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,102,000 after purchasing an additional 972 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Rentokil Initial by 63.9% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,287 shares of the company's stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Rentokil Initial by 140.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,403 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 9.91% of the company's stock.

Rentokil Initial Stock Performance

Shares of RTO stock traded up $0.09 on Thursday, hitting $23.34. 396,357 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 781,149. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.78 billion, a PE ratio of 15.46, a P/E/G ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 0.96. Rentokil Initial plc has a one year low of $19.60 and a one year high of $34.07. The firm's 50 day moving average is $22.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.27.

Rentokil Initial Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on RTO shares. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Rentokil Initial from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average 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.