Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Stifel Nicolaus Analyst Says

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) had its price target lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $240.00 to $257.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Republic Services from $219.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.75.

Republic Services Price Performance

NYSE RSG opened at $230.73 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.55, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.74. Republic Services has a 1-year low of $179.62 and a 1-year high of $232.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $212.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $208.27.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.21. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. The company had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Republic Services will post 6.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Republic Services

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RSG. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 298,648 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $60,082,000 after purchasing an additional 12,660 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its stake in Republic Services by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 113,252 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $22,784,000 after buying an additional 7,735 shares during the period. GTS Securities LLC increased its position in Republic Services by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 1,487 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 3,691 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $743,000 after acquiring an additional 1,512 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 49.1% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Company Profile

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.