Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO) Sees Large Volume Increase - Should You Buy?

Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 2,020,396 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 168% from the previous session's volume of 753,328 shares.The stock last traded at $22.93 and had previously closed at $22.95.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a report on Friday, March 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rentokil Initial presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $11.63 billion, a PE ratio of 15.25, a PEG ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock's 50-day moving average is $22.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.42.

Rentokil Initial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a $0.3825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. Rentokil Initial's payout ratio is presently 43.71%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 65.2% in the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,505 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 15,208.3% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,837 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 1,825 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Rentokil Initial by 486.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,611 shares during the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Rentokil Initial in the fourth quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 140.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,402 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,403 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.91% of the company's stock.

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.