Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) Short Interest Update

Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,750,000 shares, a decline of 40.1% from the February 28th total of 2,920,000 shares. Currently, 0.4% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 727,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fiduciary Trust Co lifted its stake in Rentokil Initial by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 24,072 shares of the company's stock valued at $600,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rentokil Initial during the third quarter valued at approximately $805,000. Maverick Capital Ltd. bought a new position in Rentokil Initial during the third quarter valued at approximately $14,820,000. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 36.8% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 88,747 shares of the company's stock worth $2,205,000 after purchasing an additional 23,892 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvey Partners LLC grew its position in Rentokil Initial by 48.3% in the 3rd quarter. Harvey Partners LLC now owns 1,430,000 shares of the company's stock worth $35,650,000 after purchasing an additional 465,500 shares during the period. 9.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rentokil Initial Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE RTO traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $23.11. The stock had a trading volume of 132,856 shares, compared to its average volume of 725,613. The stock has a market cap of $11.67 billion, a PE ratio of 15.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 1.14. Rentokil Initial has a 1 year low of $20.60 and a 1 year high of $34.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $24.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.79.

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Rentokil Initial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a $0.3825 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. Rentokil Initial's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RTO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup raised Rentokil Initial to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

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.