Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Rentokil Initial from “hold” to “buy,” adding to a mixed but generally positive analyst picture. MarketBeat says the stock now has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” with a target price of $34.50.
• Shares fell 1.6% in Friday trading to $29.66, below both the 50-day average of $30.60 and the 200-day average of $31.36. The stock has traded between $22.77 and $34.67 over the past 52 weeks.
• Institutional investors have been active, with firms like Bank of America, Janus Henderson, JPMorgan, Tower Research, and UBS increasing their holdings. Overall, institutional ownership stands at 9.91% of the company’s shares.

Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on RTO. Zacks Research lowered shares of Rentokil Initial from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Rentokil Initial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rentokil Initial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.50.

Rentokil Initial Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of Rentokil Initial stock traded down $0.47 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $29.66. 613,794 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 720,591. Rentokil Initial has a fifty-two week low of $22.77 and a fifty-two week high of $34.67. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Institutional Trading of Rentokil Initial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Rentokil Initial by 60.7% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,650,998 shares of the company's stock valued at $209,373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,511,135 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 3.0% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 16,591,965 shares of the company's stock worth $522,329,000 after purchasing an additional 490,885 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 501.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 560,332 shares of the company's stock worth $14,148,000 after purchasing an additional 467,167 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 93,129.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 293,673 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,048,000 after purchasing an additional 293,358 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 124.4% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 486,396 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,281,000 after purchasing an additional 269,676 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.91% of the company's stock.

Rentokil Initial Company Profile

Rentokil Initial PLC is a global business services company specializing in pest control, hygiene and workwear services. Headquartered in Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom, the company delivers outsourced solutions designed to protect people, preserve assets and enhance workplaces for both commercial and residential customers.

Under the Rentokil Pest Control brand, the company offers services ranging from routine inspections and treatment of insects, rodents and birds to specialised programmes for food manufacturing and healthcare environments.

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