Wall Street Zen Downgrades Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) to Hold

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

RSG has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Republic Services from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Argus set a $260.00 target price on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Republic Services from $233.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Republic Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $250.44.

Republic Services Price Performance

Shares of Republic Services stock traded up $1.79 on Friday, reaching $252.79. The stock had a trading volume of 1,074,391 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,128,341. The business's 50 day moving average is $242.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $225.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Republic Services has a 1 year low of $180.92 and a 1 year high of $253.76. The company has a market cap of $79.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Republic Services

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RSG. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Republic Services by 0.4% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 9,973 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,415,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in Republic Services by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 8,648 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,740,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Republic Services by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,154 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $279,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Republic Services by 6.2% during the first quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 806 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $195,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, FORA Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 7,659 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company's stock.

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.