Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Stock Holdings Decreased by Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. lessened its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 383,524 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3,748 shares during the period. Republic Services accounts for approximately 1.2% of Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. owned 0.12% of Republic Services worth $77,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of RSG. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Access Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Republic Services by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Access Financial Services Inc. now owns 6,178 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,243,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 5,099 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,697 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Republic Services by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 529 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $106,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Price Performance

RSG opened at $232.08 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. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $180.91 and a 1 year high of $240.95. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $221.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $211.74. The firm has a market cap of $72.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.76, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.21. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. The company had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on RSG. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $211.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Argus set a $260.00 price target on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $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. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.