National Pension Service Raises Position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

National Pension Service boosted its position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 329,757 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,128 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $66,341,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Republic Services in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI grew its holdings in 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Republic Services in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Republic Services in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Republic Services in the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RSG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $211.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Republic Services from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.41.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In related news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total transaction of $400,186.93. Following the transaction, the director now owns 879 shares in the company, valued at $189,222.33. This represents a 67.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $1,436,062.60. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,931.20. This trade represents a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Republic Services Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE RSG opened at $232.64 on Friday. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $180.91 and a 1 year high of $234.02. The stock has a market cap of $72.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $215.06 and a 200 day moving average of $209.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

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

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.