Ethic Inc. Buys 1,654 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Ethic Inc. raised its position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,471 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,654 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $2,911,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,213 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $445,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Republic Services by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 7,659 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Access Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Republic Services by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Access Financial Services Inc. now owns 6,178 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,243,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. grew its stake in Republic Services by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,697 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $341,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Umpqua Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 1,808 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Republic Services from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Republic Services from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Republic Services from $232.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Republic Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $249.00.

Republic Services Price Performance

RSG stock opened at $248.56 on Monday. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $180.92 and a 1 year high of $253.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.67 billion, a PE ratio of 38.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50-day moving average is $240.12 and its 200-day moving average is $222.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.05. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. The firm had revenue of $4.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect 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, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 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 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.99%.

Insider Transactions at Republic Services

In other Republic Services news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the firm’s 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 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

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.