GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC Invests $38,000 in Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO)

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC purchased a new stake in Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rentokil Initial by 81.3% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. purchased a new position in Rentokil Initial in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Rentokil Initial in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rentokil Initial during the first quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Rentokil Initial by 168.5% in the first quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 3,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,000 after buying an additional 2,496 shares during the period. 9.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rentokil Initial Price Performance

RTO stock traded up $0.60 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $31.37. 101,814 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 637,838. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.55. Rentokil Initial plc has a twelve month low of $23.39 and a twelve month high of $38.43.

Rentokil Initial Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be given a $0.2034 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on RTO shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Rentokil Initial from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Rentokil Initial in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Rentokil Initial from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Rentokil Initial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rentokil Initial currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.00.

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.