Liberty One Investment Management LLC Sells 2,412 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Liberty One Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 129,669 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,412 shares during the period. Republic Services makes up about 2.8% of Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $26,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of RSG. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Republic Services during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its stake in shares of Republic Services by 351.6% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 140 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A. acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Republic Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Republic Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total transaction of $400,186.93. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $189,222.33. This trade represents a 67.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brian M. Delghiaccio sold 5,071 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.02, for a total transaction of $1,065,011.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,318 shares in the company, valued at $1,326,906.36. This trade represents a 44.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of Republic Services stock opened at $213.85 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $66.97 billion, a PE ratio of 34.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.99 and a 52 week high of $220.58. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $209.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $204.44.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.20. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.18% and a net margin of 12.46%. The business had revenue of $4.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.54 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were given a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. Republic Services’s payout ratio is 37.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $224.00 price target on the stock. William Blair started coverage on Republic Services in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, CIBC raised their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $217.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.12.

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.