Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on RTO. Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised Rentokil Initial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Bank of America raised Rentokil Initial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $34.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

Rentokil Initial Stock Performance

Shares of RTO stock traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $31.94. 900,784 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,548,609. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $31.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.27. 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 12-month low of $19.60 and a 12-month high of $33.46.

Institutional Trading of Rentokil Initial

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 292.0% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 117,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,687,000 after acquiring an additional 87,405 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in Rentokil Initial by 557.8% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 759,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,236,000 after purchasing an additional 644,341 shares in the last quarter. Keystone Financial Services lifted its position in Rentokil Initial by 7.9% during the second quarter. Keystone Financial Services now owns 12,292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rentokil Initial in the 2nd quarter worth about $804,000. Finally, Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rentokil Initial in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,011,000. Institutional investors own 9.91% of the company’s stock.

About Rentokil Initial

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.