Groupama Asset Managment Invests $2.22 Million in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 11,013 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,216,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 37.5% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 17,682 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,586,000 after purchasing an additional 4,827 shares during the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. lifted its position in Republic Services by 13.0% during the third quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 114,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,013,000 after buying an additional 13,138 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS grew its holdings in Republic Services by 65.1% in the 4th quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 72,931 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $14,672,000 after buying an additional 28,764 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,430,000. Finally, Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 6.1% during the 4th 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 during the period. 57.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RSG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $211.00 to $238.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Republic Services from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.88.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Republic Services stock opened at $244.66 on Thursday. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $180.92 and a 1-year high of $245.00. The company has a market capitalization of $76.40 billion, a PE ratio of 37.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $229.51 and a 200-day moving average of $214.60.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last posted 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the business earned $1.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.75%.

Insider Transactions at Republic Services

In related news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of Republic Services 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 approximately $2,376,931.20. This trade represents a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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.