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

Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $250.44.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on RSG shares. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, April 25th. National Bank Financial upgraded Republic Services to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 26th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Republic Services from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Republic Services from $232.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Republic Services Price Performance

Shares of RSG opened at $256.77 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $80.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.56, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $245.61 and a 200-day moving average of $228.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Republic Services has a 52 week low of $184.50 and a 52 week high of $258.75.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. The business’s revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Republic Services will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be issued a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.99%.

Institutional Trading of Republic Services

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth $553,039,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Republic Services by 39,024.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,226,177 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $539,091,000 after purchasing an additional 2,220,487 shares during the period. C WorldWide Group Holding A S acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the first quarter worth $230,013,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth $184,827,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the first quarter worth $198,685,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

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.