Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $236.88.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price (up previously from $244.00) on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Republic Services from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

Remove Ads

Insider Transactions at Republic Services

In other Republic Services news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total value of $1,436,062.60. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,376,931.20. This represents a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Republic Services

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in RSG. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Republic Services by 37.5% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 17,682 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,586,000 after buying an additional 4,827 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc. increased its position in Republic Services by 13.0% during the third quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 114,582 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $23,013,000 after acquiring an additional 13,138 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in Republic Services in the 4th quarter worth about $4,430,000. Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of Republic Services by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 44,134 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $8,879,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hickory Point Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $790,000. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company's stock.

Republic Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RSG traded up $1.92 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $237.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 832,353 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,012,053. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $225.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $212.92. The company has a market capitalization of $74.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.64. Republic Services has a fifty-two week low of $180.92 and a fifty-two week high of $240.95.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Republic Services will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services's payout ratio is presently 35.75%.

About Republic Services

Republic Services, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers environmental services in the United States and Canada. It is involved in the collection and processing of recyclable, solid waste, and industrial waste materials; transportation and disposal of non-hazardous and hazardous waste streams; and other environmental solutions.