Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) Short Interest Update

Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,490,000 shares, a decline of 14.9% from the March 15th total of 1,750,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 842,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days. Approximately 0.3% of the company's shares are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of Rentokil Initial in a report on Friday, March 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Rentokil Initial Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of RTO traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $23.03. The stock had a trading volume of 431,637 shares, compared to its average volume of 765,730. Rentokil Initial has a 12-month low of $19.60 and a 12-month high of $34.07. The firm has a market cap of $11.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.25, a P/E/G ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 1.07. 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 fifty day simple moving average is $22.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.41.

Rentokil Initial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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%.

Institutional Trading of Rentokil Initial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its stake in Rentokil Initial by 65.2% during the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,505 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 594 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its position in Rentokil Initial by 15,208.3% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,837 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,825 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 486.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,611 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Rentokil Initial in the fourth quarter valued at about $59,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 140.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,402 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,403 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.91% of the company's stock.

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.