Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) Short Interest Update

Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,960,000 shares, a decline of 22.1% from the December 15th total of 3,800,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 755,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.9 days. Approximately 0.6% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on RTO. Redburn Atlantic downgraded Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Citigroup upgraded Rentokil Initial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $29.00.

Rentokil Initial Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Rentokil Initial stock traded down $0.20 during trading on Friday, reaching $23.82. 646,045 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 625,850. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Rentokil Initial has a twelve month low of $22.40 and a twelve month high of $34.07. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $25.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.20.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in RTO. River Road Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rentokil Initial during the third quarter worth $44,055,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in 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 valued at $54,530,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041,860 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd acquired a new position in Rentokil Initial in the third quarter valued at about $25,764,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Rentokil Initial by 3.8% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 16,990,179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $423,573,000 after acquiring an additional 617,227 shares during the period. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. acquired a new position in Rentokil Initial in the third quarter valued at about $14,820,000. 9.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.