Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Shares Sold by Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. trimmed its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 18.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 105,925 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 23,837 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $21,310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of RSG. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI lifted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Republic Services Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of RSG opened at $234.70 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $180.92 and a 12-month high of $240.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $223.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $212.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on RSG shares. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Argus set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Republic Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Republic Services news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total transaction of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,376,931.20. This trade represents a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.