Rentokil Initial (LON:RTO) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Technical breakout: Rentokil Initial passed above its 200‑day moving average (GBX 450.08) on Friday, trading as high as GBX 499.70 and last at GBX 491.60.
• Analyst upgrades: Multiple brokers (UBS, Citi, Jefferies) have raised ratings/targets, leaving five Buy, one Hold and one Sell for a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of GBX 461.43 (below the current share price).
• Insider activity and fundamentals: Insider Sally Johnson bought 2,676 shares at GBX 483 and insiders own 2.82% of the stock; the company has a market cap of £12.37bn and a PE ratio of 26.52.

Rentokil Initial plc (LON:RTO - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 450.08 and traded as high as GBX 499.70. Rentokil Initial shares last traded at GBX 491.60, with a volume of 471,259,063 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RTO has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group raised Rentokil Initial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from GBX 430 to GBX 540 in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup upped their target price on Rentokil Initial from GBX 550 to GBX 575 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Rentokil Initial from GBX 540 to GBX 550 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a "hold" rating and issued a GBX 390 target price on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 461.43.

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of £12.37 billion, a PE ratio of 26.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.41. The stock's 50 day moving average is GBX 476.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 450.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 111.54, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.16.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Sally Johnson purchased 2,676 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 483 per share, with a total value of £12,925.08. Corporate insiders own 2.82% of the company's stock.

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. The company provides hygiene services, including the provision and maintenance of products, such as soap and hand sanitizer dispensers, hand dryers, air care and purification, cubicle and surface sanitizers, feminine hygiene units, toilet paper dispensers, and floor protection mats.

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