Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $233.42 and last traded at $232.57, with a volume of 116345 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $230.87.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on RSG. Argus set a $260.00 target price on Republic Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. CIBC boosted their price target on Republic Services from $217.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of 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. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, February 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Republic Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $233.41.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.3 %

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $213.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $209.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market cap of $72.92 billion, a PE ratio of 35.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.74.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 last year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.75%.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In other Republic Services news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total transaction of $400,186.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $189,222.33. This represents a 67.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $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. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Republic Services

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Republic Services by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 8,648 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,740,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Republic Services by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,213 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $445,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 7,659 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,541,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Simmons Bank boosted its position in Republic Services by 2.8% during the third quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 1,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $381,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Access Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Republic Services by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Access Financial Services Inc. now owns 6,178 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,243,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

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.