Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Rentokil Initial has an average analyst rating of Hold from 10 analysts (3 sell, 2 hold, 4 buy, 1 strong buy) with a 12-month average price target of $34.00.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed recently — JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley upgraded to overweight, while Rothschild & Co Redburn and Zacks cut their ratings to strong sell, and Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-).
• RTO opened at $31.90, trading within a 1-year range of $19.60–$33.46, and institutional investors own about 9.91% of the company with several funds modestly increasing positions in Q4.

Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the ten analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $34.00.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut shares of Rentokil Initial from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

RTO stock opened at $31.90 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.12. Rentokil Initial has a 1-year low of $19.60 and a 1-year high of $33.46. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.38.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 222.2% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,163 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 802 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Rentokil Initial by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 534 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new position in Rentokil Initial during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Rentokil Initial by 171.0% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,726 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Rentokil Initial by 296.3% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,954 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 1,461 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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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