Analysts Set Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO) PT at $34.00

Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $34.50.

RTO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Rentokil Initial from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Rentokil Initial from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $34.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 18th.

Rentokil Initial Stock Performance

NYSE RTO opened at $31.75 on Monday. 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 twelve month low of $19.60 and a twelve month high of $33.46. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $31.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.51.

Rentokil Initial Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RTO. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Rentokil Initial by 222.2% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 802 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 534 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new position in shares of Rentokil Initial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 171.0% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 296.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461 shares in the last quarter. 9.91% of the stock is owned by 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.