Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Shares Sold by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D trimmed its position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 78,165 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 228 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $15,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Stifel Financial Corp grew its stake in Republic Services by 437.9% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,814,613 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $364,449,000 after buying an additional 1,477,255 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Republic Services by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,004,199 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,205,883,000 after purchasing an additional 1,131,850 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Republic Services by 83,671.9% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 538,653 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $108,183,000 after buying an additional 538,010 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Republic Services by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,129,322 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $626,553,000 after purchasing an additional 509,116 shares during the period. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in shares of Republic Services by 544.7% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 545,613 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $109,580,000 after buying an additional 460,989 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Trading Up 2.9 %

NYSE RSG opened at $230.98 on Tuesday. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $177.03 and a 12 month high of $232.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $210.94 and a 200-day moving average of $207.52. The company has a market cap of $72.33 billion, a PE ratio of 36.96, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.74.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.21. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 18.18%. The company had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. CIBC boosted their target price on Republic Services from $217.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Republic Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $225.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $189,222.33. This represents a 67.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by 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.