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

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-three research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $252.68.

RSG has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Republic Services from $232.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. National Bank Financial upgraded Republic Services to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 26th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Republic Services from $233.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th.

Republic Services Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE RSG traded down $0.08 on Friday, reaching $244.29. The company had a trading volume of 35,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,137,553. Republic Services has a 52 week low of $188.82 and a 52 week high of $258.75. The stock's 50 day moving average is $248.90 and its 200-day moving average is $232.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $76.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.99, a PEG ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.63.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.05. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 18.28%. The business had revenue of $4.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.45 EPS. Republic Services's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Republic Services will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. Republic Services's payout ratio is 34.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Republic Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RSG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $553,039,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Republic Services by 39,024.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,226,177 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $539,091,000 after purchasing an additional 2,220,487 shares during the last quarter. C WorldWide Group Holding A S bought a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the first quarter worth $230,013,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth $184,827,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the 1st quarter valued at $198,685,000. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by 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.