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Why Is Republic Services (RSG) Up 1.4% Since Last Earnings Report?

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It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Republic Services (RSG - Free Report) . Shares have added about 1.4% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.

Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Republic Services due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.

Republic Services Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates

Republic Services reported mixed second-quarter 2025 results. Earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, while revenues missed the same.

RSG’s earnings per share (EPS) of $1.77 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.1% and gained 9.9% from the year-ago quarter. Revenues of $4.2 billion missed the consensus mark by a slight margin but increased 4.6% year over year.

Republic Services’ Segmental Revenues

Revenues from Collection totaled $2.8 billion, increasing 3.6% from the year-ago quarter, missing our estimate of $2.9 billion. Environmental Solutions' revenues (net) of $462 million declined 2.3% year over year, missing our projected $492 million.

Revenues (net) in the Transfer and Landfill segments were $221 million and $516 million, increasing 6.3% and 17.3% on a year-over-year basis, respectively. Revenues of the Transfer and Landfill segments surpassed our expectations of $213.5 million and $462.7 million, respectively.

The Other segment’s revenues of $214 million grew 4.9% from the year-ago quarter’s actual and surpassed our expectation of $212.7 million.

Operating Results of RSG

Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $1.4 billion, increasing 8.2% from the year-ago quarter, beating our estimate of $1.3 billion. The adjusted EBITDA margin was 32.1%, up 100 basis points from the year-ago quarter, surpassing our estimation of 31.4%.

Balance Sheet & Cash Flow of RSG

Republic Services exited the second quarter of 2025 with cash and cash equivalents of $122 million compared with $83 million at the end of the first quarter of 2025. The long-term debt (net of current maturities) was $12.5 billion compared with $12.9 billion at the end of the preceding quarter.

RSG generated $1.1 billion in cash from operating activities in the second quarter of 2025. The adjusted free cash flow was $693 million. Capital expenditure was $423 million.

RSG's 2025 Guidance

For 2025, RSG lowered its revenue expectations to $16.68-$16.75 billion from the preceding quarter’s view of $16.85-$16.95 billion. The company expects the adjusted EPS to be $6.82-$6.90.

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?

In the past month, investors have witnessed a downward trend in fresh estimates.

VGM Scores

Currently, Republic Services has a nice Growth Score of B, a grade with the same score on the momentum front. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock was allocated a grade of C on the value side, putting it in the middle 20% for this investment strategy.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of C. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

Outlook

Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. It's no surprise Republic Services has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We expect a below average return from the stock in the next few months.

Performance of an Industry Player

Republic Services belongs to the Zacks Waste Removal Services industry. Another stock from the same industry, Pentair plc (PNR - Free Report) , has gained 7.9% over the past month. More than a month has passed since the company reported results for the quarter ended June 2025.

Pentair reported revenues of $1.12 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +2.2%. EPS of $1.39 for the same period compares with $1.22 a year ago.

For the current quarter, Pentair is expected to post earnings of $1.18 per share, indicating a change of +8.3% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +0.2% over the last 30 days.

The overall direction and magnitude of estimate revisions translate into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for Pentair. Also, the stock has a VGM Score of B.


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