Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Stake Cut by Smartleaf Asset Management LLC

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,850 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 59 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $976,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 4,827 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc. lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 13,138 shares during the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at $4,430,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Republic Services during the third quarter worth about $6,102,000. Finally, Lifeworks Advisors LLC lifted its position in Republic Services by 1,112.3% in the 3rd quarter. Lifeworks Advisors LLC now owns 21,469 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,312,000 after purchasing an additional 19,698 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group raised their target price on Republic Services from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Argus set a $260.00 price target on Republic Services in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.56.

Republic Services Stock Up 2.0 %

RSG stock opened at $237.42 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market cap of $74.14 billion, a PE ratio of 36.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.74. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $180.91 and a 12 month high of $237.52. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $215.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $209.79.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Republic Services news, 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 transaction of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 879 shares in the company, valued at $189,222.33. This represents a 67.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.