Analyst Dominic Edridge said Rentokil continued to see weaker conditions in the third quarter, with US pest‑control organic growth of 2.2%, below expectations of around 4%.
DB also noted that the softer June performance flagged at the half‑year stage had persisted, leading the group to trim its North America pest‑control margin guidance to 18.5% to 19.0% from 19.5%, although the 16.5% group margin target was maintained.
Deutsche Bank, which kept its 'buy' rating on the sock, said the main issue was weaker new consumer customer acquisition, which had weighed on the group's performance.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com