Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. Buys New Stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. purchased a new position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 4,060 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $817,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Republic Services by 37.5% during the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 4,827 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 13.0% in the third quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 114,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $23,013,000 after purchasing an additional 13,138 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in Republic Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,430,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Republic Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $6,102,000. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of Republic Services by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 44,134 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,879,000 after acquiring an additional 2,548 shares in the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on RSG shares. Cibc World Mkts upgraded Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $211.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Five equities research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.88.

Republic Services Price Performance

RSG stock opened at $234.28 on Friday. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $180.91 and a 52-week high of $240.95. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $218.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $210.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company 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 business earned $1.41 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total transaction of $1,436,062.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,931.20. This represents a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.