Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $34.00.

A number of research firms have recently commented on RTO. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Rentokil Initial from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Rentokil Initial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th.

Rentokil Initial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:RTO opened at $31.55 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $28.84 and a 200 day moving average of $26.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Rentokil Initial has a 12 month low of $19.60 and a 12 month high of $32.20.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pullen Investment Management LLC raised its position in Rentokil Initial by 0.7% during the third quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 48,758 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 21,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $536,000 after buying an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 76.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in Rentokil Initial by 115.5% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,282 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 687 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Rentokil Initial by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 694 shares in the last quarter. 9.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.