Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Upgraded by Melius Research to "Hold" Rating

Melius Research upgraded shares of Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $281.00 target price on the business services provider's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Republic Services from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $266.00 target price on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $252.68.

Republic Services Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:RSG traded up $3.40 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $251.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 956,637 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,142,425. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $246.67 and a 200-day moving average of $229.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.77, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.63. Republic Services has a 12-month low of $185.11 and a 12-month high of $258.75.

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

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 2nd. Republic Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.99%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RSG. DnB Asset Management AS raised its stake in shares of Republic Services by 65.1% in the 4th quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 72,931 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $14,672,000 after buying an additional 28,764 shares in the last quarter. Hickory Point Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $790,000. Uniting Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $266,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 435,835 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $87,681,000 after acquiring an additional 14,273 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 329,757 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $66,341,000 after buying an additional 11,128 shares during the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.