Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Republic Services has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 22 analysts, with an average 1-year price target of about $243.26.
• The company recently reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.70 versus estimates of $1.64 and revenue of $4.11 billion, while revenue rose 2.6% year over year.
• Republic Services also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.625 per share, equal to an annualized payout of $2.50 and a yield of about 1.1%.

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $243.2632.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Republic Services from $233.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Argus downgraded Republic Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays raised their price target on Republic Services from $227.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $253.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Republic Services from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th.

Republic Services Price Performance

Republic Services stock opened at $220.47 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.40. Republic Services has a 12-month low of $196.41 and a 12-month high of $246.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm's 50-day moving average is $208.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $214.33.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.10 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 18.57%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.58 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Republic Services will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Republic Services's payout ratio is currently 35.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. bought 60,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $213.31 per share, with a total value of $12,947,917.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 110,803,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,635,597,400.42. This represents a 0.05% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Sandra M. Volpe sold 1,800 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.28, for a total value of $380,304.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 58 shares in the company, valued at $12,254.24. The trade was a 96.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 987,150 shares of company stock valued at $202,366,682. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Republic Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.73% of the company's stock.

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.

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