Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Stake Lowered by Motco

Motco trimmed its position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 33.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 996 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 492 shares during the period. Motco’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $200,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First American Bank boosted its position in Republic Services by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. First American Bank now owns 33,854 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,811,000 after purchasing an additional 908 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Republic Services by 77.1% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 63,107 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,696,000 after purchasing an additional 27,480 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at $30,230,000. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its position in Republic Services by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 87,800 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $17,664,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Republic Services by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 27,234 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,479,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of RSG opened at $237.42 on Friday. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $180.91 and a 12-month high of $237.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $215.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $209.68.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.21. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. The firm had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s payout ratio is 35.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Republic Services

In other Republic Services news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total transaction of $1,436,062.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,376,931.20. The trade was a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 value of $400,186.93. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 879 shares in the company, valued at $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. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on RSG. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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. UBS Group boosted their price target on Republic Services from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $211.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.56.

Republic Services 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.