Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company.

RTO has been the subject of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Rentokil Initial from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a report on Friday, March 7th.

Rentokil Initial Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of RTO stock traded up $0.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $23.85. The stock had a trading volume of 531,963 shares, compared to its average volume of 781,260. Rentokil Initial has a 12-month low of $19.60 and a 12-month high of $34.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 0.96. The firm's 50-day moving average is $22.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Rentokil Initial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th were issued a $0.3825 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 4th. Rentokil Initial's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.03%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 668.3% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,598 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares during the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 65.2% during the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,505 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Rentokil Initial in the first quarter valued at $46,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its position in Rentokil Initial by 15,208.3% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,837 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,825 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Rentokil Initial by 486.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,611 shares during the period. 9.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Rentokil Initial

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.