The Goldman Sachs Group Issues Positive Forecast for Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Stock Price

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) had its price objective upped by The Goldman Sachs Group from $239.00 to $265.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the business services provider's stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. CIBC increased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $217.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Republic Services from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $231.75.

Republic Services Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:RSG traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $230.73. The stock had a trading volume of 1,222,819 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,013,705. 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 has a market cap of $72.05 billion, a PE ratio of 35.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.74. Republic Services has a 12-month low of $180.91 and a 12-month high of $232.52. The company's 50 day moving average is $212.44 and its 200-day moving average is $208.27.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.21. The business 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Republic Services will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Republic Services

In other Republic Services news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 879 shares of the company's stock, valued at $189,222.33. This represents a 67.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Republic Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in RSG. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 31,447 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $6,316,000 after acquiring an additional 2,360 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Republic Services by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,162 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $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 3rd quarter worth about $201,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $673,000. Finally, CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT increased its position in shares of Republic Services by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT now owns 11,000 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,209,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.