Rentokil Initial (LON:RTO) Stock Price Up 9.1% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Rentokil Initial's share price surged by 9.1% during mid-day trading, reaching GBX 377.98 ($4.99) after a previous close of GBX 346.60 ($4.58).
• Equities research analysts have increased their price targets for Rentokil Initial, with Deutsche Bank raising their target from GBX 425 ($5.61) to GBX 435 ($5.75), while Royal Bank of Canada set a target of GBX 440 ($5.81).
• Insider activity has been noted, with Sally Johnson purchasing 3,567 shares at an average cost of GBX 351 ($4.64) per share, indicating confidence in the company's future.

Rentokil Initial plc (LON:RTO - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 9.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as GBX 387.30 ($5.14) and last traded at GBX 377.98 ($5.02). 13,367,716 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 30% from the average session volume of 10,266,272 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 346.60 ($4.60).

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RTO has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Rentokil Initial from GBX 425 ($5.64) to GBX 435 ($5.78) and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a GBX 440 ($5.84) price target on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research note on Friday.

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of £9.14 billion, a PE ratio of 23.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.55. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is GBX 353.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 359.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 113.35, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.76.

Insider Activity at Rentokil Initial

In other news, insider Sally Johnson bought 3,567 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 351 ($4.66) per share, with a total value of £12,520.17 ($16,624.84). 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.