RTO vs. XLF

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Rentokil Initial PLC (RTO) and Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF).

XLF is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the Financial Select Sector Index. It was launched on Dec 16, 1998.

Performance

RTO vs. XLF - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Rentokil Initial PLC (RTO) and Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

RTO vs. XLF - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
RTO Rentokil Initial PLC	6.86%	19.64%	-9.78%	-5.92%	-22.27%	14.36%	16.84%	42.28%	-0.22%	64.45%
XLF Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund	-9.40%	14.90%	30.56%	12.03%	-10.59%	34.80%	-1.74%	31.88%	-13.06%	22.00%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, RTO achieves a 6.86% return, which is significantly higher than XLF's -9.40% return. Over the past 10 years, RTO has underperformed XLF with an annualized return of 11.57%, while XLF has yielded a comparatively higher 12.44% annualized return.

RTO

• 1D: 2.98%
• 1M: 0.64%
• YTD: 6.86%
• 6M: 24.67%
• 1Y: 41.35%
• 3Y*: -2.89%
• 5Y*: -0.48%
• 10Y*: 11.57%

XLF

• 1D: 2.09%
• 1M: -3.51%
• YTD: -9.40%
• 6M: -7.56%
• 1Y: 0.65%
• 3Y*: 17.25%
• 5Y*: 9.34%
• 10Y*: 12.44%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

RTO vs. XLF — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

RTO

RTO Risk / Return Rank: 81
RTO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 80
RTO Sortino Ratio Rank: 79
RTO Omega Ratio Rank: 76
RTO Calmar Ratio Rank: 85
RTO Martin Ratio Rank: 86

XLF

XLF Risk / Return Rank: 14
XLF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 13
XLF Sortino Ratio Rank: 13
XLF Omega Ratio Rank: 13
XLF Calmar Ratio Rank: 15
XLF Martin Ratio Rank: 15

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

RTO vs. XLF - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Rentokil Initial PLC (RTO) and Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	RTO	XLF	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.25	0.03	+1.22
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.02	0.18	+1.85
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.25	1.02	+0.23
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.95	0.13	+2.82
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.49	0.38	+8.10
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

RTO vs. XLF - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current RTO Sharpe Ratio is 1.25, which is higher than the XLF Sharpe Ratio of 0.03. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of RTO and XLF, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	RTO	XLF	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.25	0.03	+1.22
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.01	0.50	-0.52
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.35	0.56	-0.21
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.13	0.20	-0.07

Correlation

The correlation between RTO and XLF is 0.24, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

RTO vs. XLF - Dividend Comparison

RTO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.08%, more than XLF's 1.60% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
RTO Rentokil Initial PLC	2.08%	2.23%	2.28%	1.73%	1.38%	1.30%	0.00%	0.87%	1.14%	1.69%	2.99%	1.54%
XLF Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund	1.60%	1.31%	1.42%	1.71%	2.04%	1.63%	2.03%	1.87%	2.08%	1.48%	21.10%	1.95%

Drawdowns

RTO vs. XLF - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum RTO drawdown since its inception was -86.53%, roughly equal to the maximum XLF drawdown of -82.69%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for RTO and XLF.

Drawdown Indicators

	RTO	XLF	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-86.53%	-82.69%	-3.84%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.05%	-14.79%	+0.74%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-50.94%	-25.81%	-25.13%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-50.94%	-42.86%	-8.08%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-21.50%	-12.01%	-9.49%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-30.65%	-20.10%	-10.55%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.88%	4.90%	-0.02%

Volatility

RTO vs. XLF - Volatility Comparison

Rentokil Initial PLC (RTO) has a higher volatility of 14.23% compared to Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) at 4.75%. This indicates that RTO's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than XLF based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	RTO	XLF	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	14.23%	4.75%	+9.48%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	23.52%	11.45%	+12.07%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	33.20%	19.29%	+13.91%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	34.48%	18.69%	+15.79%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	33.00%	22.19%	+10.81%