Rentokil Initial (NYSE:RTO) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Shares of Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $24.35, but opened at $25.14. Rentokil Initial shares last traded at $25.41, with a volume of 323,392 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Citigroup upgraded shares of Rentokil Initial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Four 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, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Rentokil Initial Stock Up 3.2 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $24.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.12. The firm has a market cap of $12.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rentokil Initial

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rentokil Initial during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new stake in Rentokil Initial in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 65.2% in the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 30.1% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its holdings in Rentokil Initial by 15,208.3% in the fourth 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. Institutional investors 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.