Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Moderate Buy — Twelve brokers average a "Moderate Buy" on Rentokil (2 sell, 3 hold, 6 buy, 1 strong buy) with a 12‑month mean price target of $34.50.
• Dividend announced — Rentokil declared a $0.412 per share dividend payable May 19, with record and ex‑dividend dates on April 10.
• Shares opened at $32.79, trading near a 12‑month high of $33.47, and institutional activity is notable: Envestnet more than doubled its stake to ~1.55M shares, and institutions own roughly 9.9% of the company.

Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $34.50.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised Rentokil Initial from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group upgraded Rentokil Initial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Rentokil Initial from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th.

Institutional Trading of Rentokil Initial

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 105.8% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,553,740 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,232,000 after buying an additional 798,660 shares during the last quarter. Clark Estates Inc. NY purchased a new position in shares of Rentokil Initial during the third quarter worth about $8,332,000. Liberty One Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Rentokil Initial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,946,000. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA increased its position in Rentokil Initial by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA now owns 871,415 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,003,000 after acquiring an additional 48,184 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor OS LLC purchased a new stake in Rentokil Initial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,014,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.91% of the company's stock.

Rentokil Initial Stock Performance

Shares of Rentokil Initial stock opened at $32.79 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.23. Rentokil Initial has a 12-month low of $19.60 and a 12-month high of $33.47.

Rentokil Initial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.412 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a dividend yield of 266.0%.

About Rentokil Initial

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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