Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) Short Interest Update

Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,960,000 shares, a decrease of 22.1% from the December 15th total of 3,800,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 755,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days. Currently, 0.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

RTO stock traded up $0.50 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $23.80. The stock had a trading volume of 852,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 609,544. The stock has a market cap of $12.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.23 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company's 50 day moving average price is $25.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.26. Rentokil Initial has a 1-year low of $22.40 and a 1-year high of $34.07.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RTO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Rentokil Initial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Citigroup raised shares of Rentokil Initial to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rentokil Initial has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $29.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of RTO. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Rentokil Initial by 403.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,052 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 843 shares during the period. Anthracite Investment Company Inc. grew its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 211.3% in the third quarter. Anthracite Investment Company Inc. now owns 214,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,345,000 after purchasing an additional 145,528 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Rentokil Initial by 165.8% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 55,604 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,386,000 after purchasing an additional 34,687 shares during the last quarter. Veracity Capital LLC purchased a new position in Rentokil Initial during the third quarter worth about $644,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Rentokil Initial by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 16,990,179 shares of the company's stock worth $423,573,000 after buying an additional 617,227 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.91% of the company's stock.

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.