Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $241.00 and last traded at $240.75, with a volume of 191075 shares. The stock had previously closed at $237.75.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Argus set a $260.00 target price on Republic Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $244.00) on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Cibc World Mkts raised shares of Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.88.

Republic Services Trading Down 0.6 %

The stock has a market cap of $74.44 billion, a PE ratio of 36.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $227.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $213.75.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.75%.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In other Republic Services news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Republic Services

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in shares of Republic Services by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 12,697 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,550,000 after buying an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 9,832 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,975,000 after buying an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its position in Republic Services by 15.8% during the third quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 2,156 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 92,827 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $18,643,000 after purchasing an additional 13,211 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in Republic Services by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 6,761 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,358,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.