Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Shares Sold by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS cut its position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 43,281 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,159 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $8,707,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its position in Republic Services by 2.7% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 33,937 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,816,000 after buying an additional 888 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC lifted its position in Republic Services by 21.9% during the third quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 4,828 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $970,000 after buying an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its position in Republic Services by 21.6% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,896 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $984,000 after buying an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Republic Services by 4.4% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 49,542 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $9,950,000 after buying an additional 2,082 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Republic Services during the third quarter worth approximately $6,102,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Republic Services

In other Republic Services news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Argus set a $260.00 target price on Republic Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, CIBC upgraded Republic Services from a “neutral” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and set a $264.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.88.

Republic Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RSG opened at $232.95 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $224.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $212.62. The stock has a market cap of $72.75 billion, a PE ratio of 35.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. 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 $180.92 and a one year high of $240.95.

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

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.75%.

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.