Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Shares Purchased by Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 44,256 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 817 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $8,904,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings 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 worth $3,586,000 after purchasing an additional 4,827 shares during the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. increased its position in Republic Services by 13.0% during the third quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 114,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,013,000 after buying an additional 13,138 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth $4,430,000. Hickory Point Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth $790,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Republic Services during the third quarter worth $6,102,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Republic Services Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:RSG opened at $232.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.58. Republic Services, Inc. has a one year low of $180.91 and a one year high of $240.95. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $221.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $211.67. The stock has a market cap of $72.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on RSG shares. Argus set a $260.00 price target on Republic Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $211.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Republic Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.88.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In related news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total value of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,376,931.20. The trade was a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.