Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday. The company traded as high as $249.64 and last traded at $251.3070, with a volume of 63,129 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $245.41.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on RSG. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Republic Services in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $233.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Republic Services from $272.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Republic Services from $220.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.32.

Republic Services Trading Up 3.5%

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $223.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $217.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $77.36 billion, a PE ratio of 35.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.32.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.42 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.56% and a net margin of 12.93%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.90 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Republic Services, Inc. will post 7.26 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, January 4th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 4th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Republic Services’s payout ratio is currently 37.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. acquired 409,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $221.49 per share, with a total value of $90,700,155.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 116,166,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,729,680,431.70. This trade represents a 0.35% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 6,254,462 shares of company stock worth $1,380,321,958. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Republic Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of RSG. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Republic Services during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in Republic Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Compass Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 47.3% in the first quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 162 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Republic Services Company Profile

Republic Services, Inc is an environmental services company that provides waste collection, recycling and disposal solutions for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers. Its services include curbside collection, dumpster and roll-off container services, transfer station operations, landfill management and recycling processing.

The company also provides specialized environmental services, including hazardous waste management, emergency response, remediation and other sustainability-related solutions for businesses and government organizations.