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

Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $233.41.

RSG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Republic Services from $219.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Argus set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Republic Services Stock Down 0.1 %

RSG stock opened at $230.73 on Monday. Republic Services has a fifty-two week low of $180.91 and a fifty-two week high of $232.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $212.87 and a 200-day moving average of $208.65. The company has a market capitalization of $72.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.55, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.74. 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) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Republic Services will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is 35.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total value of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,376,931.20. The trade was a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the transaction, the director now owns 879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $189,222.33. The trade was a 67.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Republic Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $553,039,000. Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in Republic Services by 437.9% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,814,613 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $364,449,000 after purchasing an additional 1,477,255 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Republic Services by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,004,199 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,205,883,000 after buying an additional 1,131,850 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $184,827,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Republic Services by 83,671.9% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 538,653 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $108,183,000 after buying an additional 538,010 shares during the period. 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.