Robert W. Baird Increases Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Price Target to $245.00

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $232.00 to $245.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the business services provider's stock. Robert W. Baird's price target points to a potential downside of 1.63% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. CIBC upgraded shares of Republic Services from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $264.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Republic Services from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Cibc World Mkts raised Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $249.00.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of Republic Services stock traded up $1.37 during trading on Friday, hitting $249.07. 399,400 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,114,187. Republic Services has a 12 month low of $180.92 and a 12 month high of $249.73. The stock has a market cap of $77.83 billion, a PE ratio of 38.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.62. The stock's fifty day moving average is $237.54 and its 200 day moving average is $220.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.58.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. The company had revenue of $4.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Republic Services will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,376,931.20. This trade represents a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.11% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Republic Services

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 37.5% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 17,682 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,586,000 after purchasing an additional 4,827 shares in the last quarter. DnB Asset Management AS grew its stake in 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 valued at $14,672,000 after acquiring an additional 28,764 shares during the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at $4,430,000. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in Republic Services by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 44,134 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,879,000 after acquiring an additional 2,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hickory Point Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the 4th quarter worth $790,000. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.