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

Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $220.06.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Republic Services from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Republic Services from $220.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $211.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Republic Services Price Performance

Republic Services stock opened at $205.62 on Wednesday. Republic Services has a 52-week low of $161.19 and a 52-week high of $220.58. The company has a market cap of $64.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.90, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $208.79 and its 200 day moving average is $202.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $4.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.18% and a net margin of 12.46%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.54 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Republic Services will post 6.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Republic Services’s payout ratio is 37.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Republic Services news, CFO Brian M. Delghiaccio sold 5,071 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.02, for a total transaction of $1,065,011.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,326,906.36. This trade represents a 44.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total transaction of $400,186.93. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $189,222.33. This trade represents a 67.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Republic Services

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in Republic Services by 437.9% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,814,613 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $364,449,000 after buying an additional 1,477,255 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Republic Services by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,004,199 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,205,883,000 after purchasing an additional 1,131,850 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Republic Services by 83,671.9% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 538,653 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $108,183,000 after purchasing an additional 538,010 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in Republic Services by 544.7% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 545,613 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $109,580,000 after purchasing an additional 460,989 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in Republic Services by 169.3% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 554,500 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $111,366,000 after purchasing an additional 348,600 shares during the period. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Republic Services Company Profile

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.