Rentokil beats expectations

Rentokil Initial’s (RTO) tagline is 'Protecting people. Enhancing lives', but it might as well be 'if it ain't broke, don’t fix it'. The group’s longstanding strategy for combining organic growth with a huge appetite for acquisitions – 47 businesses bought in 2018, for £298m – delivered adjusted pre-tax profits 2 per cent ahead of broker Peel Hunt's expectations and precipitated increased guidance for 2019.