Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 125 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 2.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,947 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $994,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in Republic Services in the first quarter valued at $24,121,000. Motco bought a new position in shares of Republic Services during the first quarter worth about $324,000. M&G Plc acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the first quarter worth approximately $130,892,000. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Republic Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Republic Services by 25.2% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 74,088 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $14,183,000 after purchasing an additional 14,921 shares during the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on RSG. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Republic Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Republic Services from $208.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Republic Services from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Republic Services from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, October 4th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $224.00 price objective on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Republic Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $215.71.

Republic Services Price Performance

RSG opened at $209.46 on Friday. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $156.83 and a 1 year high of $216.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a market capitalization of $65.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $203.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $197.79.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $4.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 18.18%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.54 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Republic Services’s payout ratio is 37.12%.

Republic Services Company 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.