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

Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the eleven analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $159.00.

RSG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on Republic Services from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 1st. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $154.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Republic Services from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 1st.

Republic Services Trading Down 0.2 %

Republic Services stock opened at $150.14 on Monday. Republic Services has a one year low of $120.58 and a one year high of $156.65. The stock has a market cap of $47.49 billion, a PE ratio of 30.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $148.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.28.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 31st. The business services provider reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.73 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 10.91% and a return on equity of 16.53%. Republic Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Republic Services will post 5.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 13th. Investors of record on Monday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.535 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 29th. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. This is a boost from Republic Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Amanda Hodges sold 2,712 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.66, for a total value of $403,165.92. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 4,969 shares in the company, valued at $738,691.54. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CMO Amanda Hodges sold 2,712 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.66, for a total transaction of $403,165.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 4,969 shares in the company, valued at $738,691.54. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brian M. Delghiaccio sold 5,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.65, for a total value of $823,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 5,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $758,875.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its holdings in Republic Services by 87,079.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 169,300,747 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,931,795,000 after buying an additional 169,106,550 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 0.3% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 20,421,314 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,127,933,000 after purchasing an additional 56,686 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Republic Services by 1.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,800,921 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,358,621,000 after purchasing an additional 168,696 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Republic Services by 0.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,964,102 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,377,389,000 after purchasing an additional 27,920 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management SA boosted its holdings in Republic Services by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management SA now owns 8,078,135 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,092,325,000 after purchasing an additional 738,378 shares during the last quarter. 57.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Republic Services

Republic Services, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers environmental services in the United States. 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.