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

Key Points

• Republic Services has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 22 firms, with an average price target of about $243.26.
• The company beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.70 EPS versus the $1.64 estimate, while revenue came in slightly above forecasts at $4.11 billion.
• Republic Services also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.625 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 1.2%.

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $243.2632.

Several research firms have recently commented on RSG. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $249.00 price target on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Republic Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.8%

RSG stock opened at $209.75 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $64.53 billion, a PE ratio of 30.09, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.41. 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's 50 day moving average price is $208.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $214.52. Republic Services has a one year low of $196.41 and a one year high of $253.38.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The business services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 18.57%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.58 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Republic Services will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a $0.625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Republic Services's payout ratio is presently 36.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Republic Services news, Director Sandra M. Volpe sold 1,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.28, for a total value of $380,304.00. Following the sale, the director owned 58 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,254.24. The trade was a 96.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. bought 60,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $213.31 per share, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 0.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders acquired 987,150 shares of company stock worth $202,366,682. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Republic Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the third quarter worth $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the third quarter worth $29,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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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