Republic Services Ranks 400th in Trading Volume as Waste Management Outpaces with 0.73% Gains

On August 4, 2025, Republic Services (RSG) closed with a 0.22% gain, trading at a daily volume of $280 million, ranking 400th among stocks in terms of liquidity. The waste management sector showed mixed performance, with RSG trailing behind industry leader Waste Management (WM), which rose 0.73% on the day. The sector’s year-to-date return stands at 11.41%, outperforming the S&P 500’s 7.16% gain but underperforming its five-year cumulative return of 108.54%.

RSG, the second-largest provider of nonhazardous waste services in the U.S., operates 208 active landfills and 248 transfer stations across 41 states. Analyst reports highlight its role in residential, commercial, and industrial waste management, alongside recycling and hazardous waste operations. Despite its market leadership in volume, RSG’s liquidity remains lower than peers like Waste Management, which commands a 35.56% industry weight in the S&P 500. The stock’s modest gain aligns with broader sector trends, where liquidity concentration appears to drive short-term performance.

The strategy of purchasing the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding for one day yielded a 166.71% return from 2022 to the present, significantly outperforming the benchmark’s 29.18% gain. This underscores the influence of liquidity dynamics in short-term trading, particularly in volatile markets, where high-volume assets tend to capture market-moving momentum more effectively than traditional benchmarks.