Rentokil Initial (LON:RTO) Trading Up 8.3% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Rentokil Initial's shares rose 8.3%, reaching a last trading price of GBX 441.20 ($5.88) on Thursday, with trading volume increasing by 117% compared to the daily average.
• Analysts have varied opinions on the stock, with two recommending a Buy, one a Hold, and one a Sell, leading to an average price target of GBX 393.80.
• The company has a market capitalization of £11.09 billion and a notable debt-to-equity ratio of 113.35, reflecting its financial leverage.

Shares of Rentokil Initial plc (LON:RTO - Get Free Report) were up 8.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as GBX 480 ($6.40) and last traded at GBX 441.20 ($5.88). Approximately 19,834,004 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 117% from the average daily volume of 9,130,533 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 407.30 ($5.43).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "no recommendation" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Berenberg Bank reissued a "sell" rating and issued a GBX 284 price target on shares of Rentokil Initial in a report on Monday, September 29th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a GBX 380 price target on shares of Rentokil Initial in a report on Friday, October 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Rentokil Initial from GBX 425 to GBX 435 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a GBX 440 price target on shares of Rentokil Initial in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of GBX 393.80.

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of £11.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a fifty day moving average of GBX 377.82 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 360.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 113.35, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Rentokil Initial Company Profile

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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