Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Rentokil Initial PLC (NYSE:RTO)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $23.17 and last traded at $23.1150, with a volume of 1889802 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.83.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Rentokil Initial from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Zacks Research lowered Rentokil Initial from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. BNP Paribas Exane cut Rentokil Initial from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $26.70 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Rentokil Initial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.90.

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $26.22 and its 200-day moving average is $29.64.

Rentokil Initial Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $0.224 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 188.0%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RTO. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 84.5% during the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 53.8% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 690 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 50.5% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. boosted its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 14,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $413,000 after acquiring an additional 757 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.91% of the company’s stock.

About Rentokil Initial

Rentokil Initial plc is a United Kingdom-based business services company specializing in pest control, hygiene and workplace services. Through its pest control operations, the company provides inspection, prevention and treatment programs for residential, commercial and industrial customers, addressing insects, rodents, birds and other pests.

The company also supplies hygiene and washroom services, including sanitary products, restroom equipment, air-care systems and related maintenance programs.