Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Takes Position in Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 305,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,726,000. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC owned 0.06% of Rentokil Initial as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT boosted its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 151.0% during the fourth quarter. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT now owns 247,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,070,000 after purchasing an additional 148,656 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Rentokil Initial by 6.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 923,730 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,224,000 after acquiring an additional 60,018 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in Rentokil Initial by 3.2% in the third quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,802,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,897,000 after acquiring an additional 116,496 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. lifted its stake in Rentokil Initial by 7.9% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 14,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $555,000 after acquiring an additional 1,097 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in Rentokil Initial by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 7,538 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 1,141 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.91% of the company’s stock.

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RTO traded down $0.58 on Thursday, hitting $26.08. 607,329 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 761,454. Rentokil Initial plc has a 52 week low of $23.39 and a 52 week high of $41.55. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.25.

Rentokil Initial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.3784 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. This is an increase from Rentokil Initial’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.18. This represents a dividend yield of 1.6%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. BNP Paribas raised Rentokil Initial from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Rentokil Initial in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America lowered Rentokil Initial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $40.00 to $29.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th.

Rentokil Initial 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.