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

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-seven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $250.4545.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on RSG. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $260.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Republic Services from $257.00 to $251.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, September 19th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $240.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Republic Services in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 target price on the stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Republic Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. now owns 254,540 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,772,000 after purchasing an additional 17,280 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Republic Services by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 479,222 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $116,048,000 after acquiring an additional 43,387 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the 1st quarter valued at $22,078,000. Ascent Group LLC increased its holdings in Republic Services by 6.3% during the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 19,063 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,701,000 after buying an additional 1,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Access Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Republic Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,356,000. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.9%

RSG stock opened at $217.12 on Wednesday. Republic Services has a fifty-two week low of $199.43 and a fifty-two week high of $258.75. The company has a market capitalization of $67.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.66. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $218.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.28.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.25 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.97% and a return on equity of 18.27%. The company’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Republic Services will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

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

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.