UBS Group Increases Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Price Target to $240.00

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) had its price target lifted by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $212.00 to $240.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the business services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 4.02% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on RSG. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on 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, CIBC lifted their price target on Republic Services from $217.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.75.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Republic Services stock opened at $230.73 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $212.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $208.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $72.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.55, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.74. Republic Services has a fifty-two week low of $179.62 and a fifty-two week high of $232.52.

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

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In related news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $2,376,931.20. This trade represents a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were 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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Republic Services

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in Republic Services by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 298,648 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $60,082,000 after purchasing an additional 12,660 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its position in Republic Services by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 113,252 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $22,784,000 after purchasing an additional 7,735 shares during the period. GTS Securities LLC lifted its position in Republic Services by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 1,487 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its position in Republic Services by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 3,691 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $743,000 after purchasing an additional 1,512 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its position in Republic Services by 49.1% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the period. 57.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.