Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $239.77 and last traded at $239.20, with a volume of 27214 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $237.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on RSG. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Republic Services from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.88.

Republic Services Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $73.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.74. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $217.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $210.28.

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

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s payout ratio is currently 35.75%.

Insider Activity

In other Republic Services news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the transaction, the director now owns 879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $189,222.33. This represents a 67.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total value of $1,436,062.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,931.20. This trade represents a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Republic Services

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in Republic Services by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 8,648 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,740,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,213 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $445,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC grew its position in Republic Services by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 7,659 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Simmons Bank increased its holdings in Republic Services by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 1,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Access Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Republic Services by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Access Financial Services Inc. now owns 6,178 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,243,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.