Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Price Target to $251.00

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) had its price objective trimmed by Stifel Nicolaus from $257.00 to $251.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on RSG. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $280.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $260.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $280.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Scotiabank set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Finally, National Bankshares lowered their price objective on Republic Services from $270.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.65.

Republic Services Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Republic Services stock opened at $208.49 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Republic Services has a 12-month low of $197.60 and a 12-month high of $258.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.84, a PEG ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $225.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $237.63.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The business services provider reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.12. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.97% and a return on equity of 18.27%. The business had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. Republic Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Republic Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.820-6.900 EPS. Analysts predict that Republic Services will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.625 per share. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Republic Services

In related news, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. acquired 4,258 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $234.91 per share, with a total value of $1,000,246.78. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 109,816,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,797,072,005.12. This trade represents a 0.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Gregg Brummer sold 7,338 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.94, for a total transaction of $1,716,651.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $949,796.40. The trade was a 64.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RSG. Algebris UK Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 24.2% in the third quarter. Algebris UK Ltd. now owns 9,220 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,114,000 after buying an additional 1,798 shares in the last quarter. Quilter Plc lifted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 22.9% in the third quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 38,488 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,832,000 after buying an additional 7,172 shares in the last quarter. Partners Capital Investment Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 24.6% in the third quarter. Partners Capital Investment Group LLP now owns 2,095 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $481,000 after buying an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 1.7% in the third quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 3,806 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $873,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 1,026.6% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 18,454 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,235,000 after buying an additional 16,816 shares in the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.