Bellecapital International Ltd. Buys 355 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Bellecapital International Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 23.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,872 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Bellecapital International Ltd.’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $377,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in RSG. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services in the third quarter worth $25,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI grew its stake in Republic Services by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services in the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services in the third quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Stock Up 2.0 %

RSG stock opened at $237.42 on Monday. Republic Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $180.91 and a fifty-two week high of $237.52. The business’s 50-day moving average is $215.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $209.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.58. The company has a market cap of $74.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.74.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. The company had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

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. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is 35.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Republic Services

In other news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the transaction, the director now owns 879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $189,222.33. This trade represents a 67.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at $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 corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $211.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Republic Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.56.

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.