The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Price Target to $230.00

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) had its target price upped by The Goldman Sachs Group from $209.00 to $230.00 in a report published on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the business services provider’s stock.

RSG has been the subject of several other reports. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Republic Services in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a sector perform rating and a $211.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group cut Republic Services from a buy rating to a neutral rating and upped their price objective for the company from $175.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered Republic Services from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $199.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on Republic Services in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a sector perform rating and a $198.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $199.77.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Republic Services stock opened at $189.76 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.56. Republic Services has a 1-year low of $135.33 and a 1-year high of $192.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of $185.90 and a 200-day moving average of $168.82. The company has a market capitalization of $59.77 billion, a PE ratio of 34.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.68.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The business services provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $3.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.73 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 11.57%. Republic Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Republic Services will post 6.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.535 per share. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 1st. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In other news, CEO Ark Jon Vander sold 5,446 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.10, for a total value of $1,002,608.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 85,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,669,303.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Republic Services

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RSG. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Republic Services by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,791 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $398,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN boosted its holdings in Republic Services by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 2,858 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 217.7% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 76,038 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,539,000 after buying an additional 52,104 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG lifted its position in shares of Republic Services by 65.9% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 34,500 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,917,000 after acquiring an additional 13,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 3rd quarter worth $2,993,000. 57.73% of the stock is currently 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.