Citigroup Increases Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Price Target to $278.00

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by stock analysts at Citigroup from $265.00 to $278.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the business services provider's stock. Citigroup's price objective points to a potential upside of 10.52% from the company's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on RSG. UBS Group increased their price objective on Republic Services from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Republic Services from $232.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Argus set a $260.00 price target on Republic Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Republic Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $249.00.

Republic Services Price Performance

NYSE RSG traded up $2.14 on Tuesday, hitting $251.55. The company had a trading volume of 81,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,101,582. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a market capitalization of $78.61 billion, a PE ratio of 38.75, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.62. Republic Services has a 12-month low of $180.92 and a 12-month high of $252.32. The company's fifty day moving average price is $238.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $220.68.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Republic Services will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Republic Services

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 $2,376,931.20. The trade was a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Republic Services

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of RSG. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Republic Services by 3,533.3% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 109 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc grew its position in shares of Republic Services by 380.8% in the first quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 125 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Republic Services by 70.2% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 177 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.