Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Price Target Raised to $257.00

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) had its price objective upped by Stifel Nicolaus from $240.00 to $257.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the business services provider's stock.

RSG has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. CIBC increased their price objective on Republic Services from $217.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets raised Republic Services from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $211.00 to $238.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Republic Services from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $231.75.

Republic Services Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE RSG traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $230.73. 1,231,741 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,014,084. Republic Services has a one year low of $180.91 and a one year high of $232.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.58. The company's 50-day moving average is $212.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $208.51. The company has a market capitalization of $72.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.74.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. The firm had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Republic Services will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services's payout ratio is 35.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the transaction, the director now owns 879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $189,222.33. This trade represents a 67.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total value of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,931.20. The trade was a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RSG. Creative Planning boosted its stake in Republic Services by 8.1% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 31,447 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $6,316,000 after buying an additional 2,360 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 14.5% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,162 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the third quarter valued at about $201,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the third quarter valued at about $673,000. Finally, CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 22.2% during the third quarter. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT now owns 11,000 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,209,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company's stock.

Republic Services Company Profile

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.