Saturna Capital Corp Raises Stock Holdings in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Saturna Capital Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 11.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,130 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 753 shares during the quarter. Saturna Capital Corp’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $1,434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of RSG. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Republic Services by 437.9% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,814,613 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $364,449,000 after buying an additional 1,477,255 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Republic Services by 23.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,004,199 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,205,883,000 after acquiring an additional 1,131,850 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $184,827,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,129,322 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $626,553,000 after purchasing an additional 509,116 shares during the period. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in Republic Services by 544.7% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 545,613 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $109,580,000 after purchasing an additional 460,989 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,376,931.20. This represents a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Republic Services Stock Performance

RSG opened at $231.92 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $72.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $180.91 and a 52-week 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’s 50-day moving average price is $220.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $211.24.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. The firm had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus set a $260.00 price target on Republic Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Republic Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.88.

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.