Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO) Downgraded to “Strong Sell” Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report issued on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. UBS Group raised shares of Rentokil Initial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 5th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Rentokil Initial from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of Rentokil Initial from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.50.

Rentokil Initial Trading Up 0.5%

Rentokil Initial stock opened at $30.34 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $32.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Rentokil Initial has a fifty-two week low of $22.72 and a fifty-two week high of $34.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of RTO. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 292.0% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 117,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,687,000 after purchasing an additional 87,405 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning purchased a new position in Rentokil Initial in the second quarter worth $393,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 2,549.7% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 93,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,236,000 after purchasing an additional 89,649 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 40.0% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 1,309 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 19.7% in the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 10,557 shares of the company’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,736 shares during the last quarter. 9.91% of the stock is 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.