Republic Services Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:RSG)

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) saw some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors bought 2,371 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 436% compared to the average volume of 442 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling at Republic Services

In other Republic Services news, Director Katharine Weymouth bought 478 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $209.46 per share, for a total transaction of $100,121.88. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,740 shares in the company, valued at $1,202,300.40. The trade was a 9.08% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Republic Services

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. L2 Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Republic Services by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 908 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Republic Services by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 445 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. ANB Bank lifted its stake in Republic Services by 2.8% in the third quarter. ANB Bank now owns 1,691 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $388,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC grew its position in Republic Services by 0.7% in the second quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 7,232 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,783,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in shares of Republic Services by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 10,454 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,216,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Republic Services

Here are the key news stories impacting Republic Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat consensus ($1.76 vs. ~$1.62), showing margin resilience and supporting the company’s longer‑term earnings profile. Zacks: Q4 results
• Positive Sentiment: Management guided FY‑26 adjusted EPS to $7.20–$7.28 (midpoint ~3% growth), and expects ~$1B of acquisitions in 2026—signals of continued price‑led growth and strategic M&A activity. MarketBeat: Guidance & acquisitions
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call‑option activity suggests some traders are positioning for upside after the print (2,371 calls traded, ~436% above average), adding short‑term bullish flow.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and transcripts reiterated steady, contract‑driven growth and cost discipline, but emphasized ongoing volume pressure—useful detail for modeling but not a clear catalyst alone. TipRanks: Earnings call highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed slightly in Q4 ($4.14B vs. ~$4.21B expected) and FY‑26 revenue guidance ($17.05–17.15B) came in below some expectations — a softer top‑line outlook is pressuring sentiment. Benzinga: Analysts cut forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: Higher CapEx and acquisition activity in 2025–26 have weakened operating cash flow and could constrain free cash flow and buybacks near term—a driver of analyst caution. MarketBeat: Cash flow & CapEx note
• Negative Sentiment: Some institutional trimming and analyst downward revisions after the print increase downside risk to near‑term price targets; several firms have reduced forecasts. QuiverQuant: Market reaction & flows

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of RSG stock opened at $221.70 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $68.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.54. Republic Services has a 1-year low of $201.42 and a 1-year high of $258.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $215.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $220.09.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The business services provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $4.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.21 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.44% and a net margin of 12.90%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.58 EPS. Republic Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.200-7.28 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Republic Services will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RSG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America lowered their price target on Republic Services from $271.00 to $241.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Republic Services from $246.00 to $242.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Republic Services from $268.00 to $244.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Republic Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $245.62.

About Republic Services

Republic Services, Inc is a leading provider of non-hazardous solid waste and recycling services in the United States. The company offers a broad range of waste management solutions to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers, positioning itself as a full-service partner for everyday waste collection as well as specialized disposal needs.

Republic’s core operations include curbside and commercial collection, transfer and hauling, materials recovery and recycling facilities, and landfill disposal.