Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) had its target price upped by equities researchers at UBS Group from $212.00 to $240.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the business services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 4.02% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on RSG. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.75.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.5 %

RSG opened at $230.73 on Wednesday. Republic Services has a twelve month low of $179.62 and a twelve month high of $232.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $212.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $208.27. The company has a market cap of $72.05 billion, a PE ratio of 35.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.74.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.21. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. The firm had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Republic Services will post 6.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Republic Services

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the third quarter worth $25,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI raised its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 70.2% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 177 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.