Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $29.00.

RTO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Barclays upgraded shares of Rentokil Initial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 0.7% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 16,139,724 shares of the company’s stock worth $486,610,000 after acquiring an additional 105,248 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 5.7% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,015,514 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,768,000 after acquiring an additional 109,561 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 130.7% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,839,135 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,530,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041,860 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 345,196.7% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,560,741 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,056,000 after acquiring an additional 1,560,289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new position in shares of Rentokil Initial in the third quarter worth about $25,764,000. 9.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Rentokil Initial Stock Performance

NYSE:RTO opened at $25.56 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $26.86 and its 200-day moving average is $28.02. Rentokil Initial has a 52-week low of $22.40 and a 52-week high of $34.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.04.

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.