Founded in 1996, Phoenix, Arizona-based Republic Services, Inc. (RSG) is the second largest provider of non-hazardous solid waste collection, transfer, disposal, recycling, and energy services in the United States. The company has a market capitalization of $70 billion and generates revenues mainly from its solid waste collection operations, transfer stations, landfill disposal, recycling, and energy services.
Shares of Republic Services have lagged behind the broader market over the past 52 weeks. RSG stock has declined 1.2% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied 12.9%. However, shares of the company are up 4.2% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX's marginal decline.
Narrowing the focus, RSG stock has also underperformed the State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI), which has increased 25.4% over the past 52 weeks.
RSG’s stock underperformance can be attributed to declining sales volumes and waning demand. The company’s units sold over the past two years have stagnated, hinting at increasing competition or market saturation. Moreover, to address this, RSG has the option to lower prices or invest in product improvements to accelerate growth, both of which could pose significant hurdles to profitability in the short term.
For the fiscal year that ended in December 2025, analysts expect RSG's EPS to rise 6.7% year-over-year to $6.89. The company's earnings surprise history is strong. It beat the consensus estimates in each of the last four quarters.
RSG has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating overall. Of the 24 analysts covering the stock, opinions include 12 “Strong Buys,” two “Moderate Buys,” and 10 “Holds.”
On Jan. 23, Oppenheimer analyst Noah Kaye maintained an "Outperform" rating for Republic Services stock and lowered its price target from $256 to $255.
The mean price target of $247.50 represents a premium of 12.1% to RSG's current levels. The Street-high price target of $281 implies a potential upside of 27.2% from the current price levels.
On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
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