Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $245.2632.

A number of brokerages have commented on RSG. Weiss Ratings upgraded Republic Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Argus downgraded Republic Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Republic Services from $233.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $233.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Republic Services from $247.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th.

Republic Services Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of RSG stock opened at $223.27 on Friday. Republic Services has a 12 month low of $196.41 and a 12 month high of $235.18. The stock has a market cap of $68.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $217.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $215.10.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The business services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 18.69%. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.77 EPS. Republic Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.230-7.280 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Republic Services will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 2nd. This is a boost from Republic Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.41%.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In other Republic Services news, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. acquired 301,639 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $222.91 per share, for a total transaction of $67,238,349.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 113,105,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,212,358,150.50. The trade was a 0.27% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders bought 3,683,545 shares of company stock valued at $807,614,912 in the last quarter. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Republic Services

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Korea Investment CORP purchased a new position in shares of Republic Services in the second quarter valued at $20,602,000. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the 2nd quarter worth about $535,000. Equitable Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Republic Services during the second quarter worth approximately $1,381,000. iA Global Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Republic Services by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 64,200 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $13,606,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $16,335,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Company Profile

Republic Services, Inc is a leading provider of non-hazardous solid waste and recycling services in the United States. The company offers a broad range of waste management solutions to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers, positioning itself as a full-service partner for everyday waste collection as well as specialized disposal needs.

Republic’s core operations include curbside and commercial collection, transfer and hauling, materials recovery and recycling facilities, and landfill disposal.