Rentokil Initial (LON:RTO) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Rentokil Initial plc (LON:RTO)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 494.50 and last traded at GBX 493.80, with a volume of 34822324 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 488.30.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on RTO shares. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and issued a GBX 390 price objective on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Rentokil Initial from GBX 540 to GBX 550 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Citigroup increased their price target on Rentokil Initial from GBX 550 to GBX 575 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, UBS Group raised Rentokil Initial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from GBX 430 to GBX 540 in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rentokil Initial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 461.43.

Rentokil Initial Stock Down 0.5%

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 464.16 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 437.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 111.54, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market capitalization of £12.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.41.

Insider Activity at Rentokil Initial

In related news, insider Sally Johnson purchased 2,676 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 483 per share, with a total value of £12,925.08. 2.82% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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. The company provides hygiene services, including the provision and maintenance of products, such as soap and hand sanitizer dispensers, hand dryers, air care and purification, cubicle and surface sanitizers, feminine hygiene units, toilet paper dispensers, and floor protection mats.