Ascent Group LLC Sells 9,241 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. $RSG

Ascent Group LLC trimmed its position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 48.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,822 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 9,241 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $2,254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Republic Services by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 920 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in Republic Services by 818.6% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 15,653 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,592,000 after acquiring an additional 13,949 shares in the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Republic Services by 13.2% in the third quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,440 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,478,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Republic Services by 26.2% during the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 2,692 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $618,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First American Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 1.4% during the third quarter. First American Bank now owns 34,969 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,025,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Price Performance

Shares of Republic Services stock opened at $211.96 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $65.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $212.85 and its 200 day moving average is $226.69. Republic Services, Inc. has a one year low of $199.43 and a one year high of $258.75.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.25 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.77% and a return on equity of 18.24%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.625 dividend. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. Republic Services’s payout ratio is 37.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Katharine Weymouth acquired 478 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $209.46 per share, with a total value of $100,121.88. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 5,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,202,300.40. The trade was a 9.08% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RSG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Republic Services from $260.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Barclays started coverage on Republic Services in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $240.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer set a $256.00 price objective on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Robert W. Baird set a $240.00 target price on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $205.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Republic Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $250.64.

Republic Services Company Profile

Republic Services, Inc is a leading provider of non-hazardous solid waste and recycling services in the United States. The company offers a broad range of waste management solutions to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers, positioning itself as a full-service partner for everyday waste collection as well as specialized disposal needs.

Republic’s core operations include curbside and commercial collection, transfer and hauling, materials recovery and recycling facilities, and landfill disposal.