Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, one has assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company.

Separately, Citigroup raised Rentokil Initial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 114.2% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 3,786,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,862,000 after acquiring an additional 2,018,866 shares in the last quarter. Gates Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Gates Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,258,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,453,000 after purchasing an additional 1,084,845 shares during the last quarter. Snyder Capital Management L P acquired a new position in shares of Rentokil Initial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,297,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 16,990,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $423,573,000 after purchasing an additional 617,227 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Rentokil Initial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $14,820,000. Institutional investors own 9.91% of the company’s stock.

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

RTO stock opened at $23.00 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $24.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.83. Rentokil Initial has a 1 year low of $22.17 and a 1 year high of $34.07. The stock has a market cap of $11.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Rentokil Initial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.3825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. Rentokil Initial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.84%.

Rentokil Initial Company Profile

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.