Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $234.56.

Several research firms recently issued reports on RSG. CIBC raised their price target on shares of Republic Services from $217.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $211.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Republic Services news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 879 shares in the company, valued at $189,222.33. The trade was a 67.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief operating officer now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Republic Services

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Republic Services during the third quarter worth $25,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI lifted its stake in Republic Services by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Republic Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in Republic Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its stake in Republic Services by 70.2% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 177 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of RSG stock opened at $237.42 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $74.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.58, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Republic Services has a 52-week low of $180.91 and a 52-week high of $237.52. The company’s 50 day moving average is $215.73 and its 200 day moving average is $209.68.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Republic Services will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s payout ratio is 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.