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

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $250.6364.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on RSG shares. Scotiabank dropped their target price on Republic Services from $250.00 to $246.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group decreased their target price on Republic Services from $260.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Monday, December 22nd.

Republic Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE RSG opened at $213.51 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $66.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $213.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $227.46. Republic Services has a fifty-two week low of $199.43 and a fifty-two week high of $258.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.25 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.77% and a return on equity of 18.24%. Republic Services’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Republic Services will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a $0.625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Republic Services’s payout ratio is 37.20%.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In related news, Director Katharine Weymouth acquired 478 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $209.46 per share, with a total value of $100,121.88. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 5,740 shares in the company, valued at $1,202,300.40. The trade was a 9.08% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Republic Services

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RSG. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Republic Services by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,107,360 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,384,757,000 after buying an additional 49,365 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 3.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,821,387 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,187,328,000 after acquiring an additional 144,003 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Republic Services by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,098,273 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $711,003,000 after acquiring an additional 409,142 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Republic Services in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $690,313,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Republic Services by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,379,682 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $586,854,000 after purchasing an additional 218,114 shares in the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Republic Services

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.