Analysts Set Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Target Price at $243.26

Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $243.2632.

RSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Republic Services from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Weiss Ratings cut Republic Services from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Argus cut Republic Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Republic Services in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on Republic Services from $240.00 to $223.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th.

Republic Services Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE:RSG opened at $204.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $63.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.41. Republic Services has a fifty-two week low of $196.41 and a fifty-two week high of $251.17. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $207.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $214.17.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. Republic Services had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 18.57%. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.58 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Republic Services will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.625 per share. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. Republic Services’s payout ratio is currently 35.87%.

Insider Transactions at Republic Services

In related news, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. purchased 60,700 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $213.31 per share, for a total transaction of $12,947,917.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 110,803,982 shares in the company, valued at $23,635,597,400.42. This represents a 0.05% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sandra M. Volpe sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.28, for a total value of $380,304.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 58 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,254.24. The trade was a 96.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 987,150 shares of company stock valued at $202,366,682. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Republic Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of RSG. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Republic Services by 75.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,822 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,988,000 after buying an additional 8,547 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 23.2% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 17,553 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,329,000 after acquiring an additional 3,303 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 3.6% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 29,690 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,322,000 after acquiring an additional 1,044 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 0.7% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 94,626 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,336,000 after acquiring an additional 688 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 68.4% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 11,643 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,871,000 after acquiring an additional 4,729 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Company Profile

Republic Services, Inc is a leading provider of non-hazardous solid waste and recycling services in the United States. The company offers a broad range of waste management solutions to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers, positioning itself as a full-service partner for everyday waste collection as well as specialized disposal needs.

Republic’s core operations include curbside and commercial collection, transfer and hauling, materials recovery and recycling facilities, and landfill disposal.