Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Stock Position Raised by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,590,728 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 144,719 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 5.94% of Republic Services worth $3,740,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Republic Services by 37.5% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 17,682 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,586,000 after buying an additional 4,827 shares in the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Republic Services by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 114,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $23,013,000 after acquiring an additional 13,138 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in Republic Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,430,000. Czech National Bank raised its stake in Republic Services by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 44,134 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,879,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares during the period. Finally, Hickory Point Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at $790,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Republic Services Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of RSG stock opened at $236.16 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $73.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $180.92 and a 12-month high of $240.95. 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 50-day moving average price of $225.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $212.92.

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

Republic Services Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $211.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus set a $260.00 target price on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Republic Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.88.

Insider Transactions at Republic Services

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

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.