Republic Services, Inc. $RSG Shares Sold by Railway Pension Investments Ltd

Railway Pension Investments Ltd decreased its position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 61.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,921 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 111,800 shares during the quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $16,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Republic Services by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. now owns 254,540 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,772,000 after purchasing an additional 17,280 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Republic Services by 24,561.0% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 29,100 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,176,000 after acquiring an additional 28,982 shares in the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise lifted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 88.7% in the second quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 58,142 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $14,299,000 after purchasing an additional 27,338 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $22,078,000. Finally, Ascent Group LLC raised its position in shares of Republic Services by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 19,063 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,701,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130 shares during the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Republic Services

In other Republic Services news, Director Katharine Weymouth bought 478 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,740 shares in the company, valued at $1,202,300.40. The trade was a 9.08% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.11% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on RSG. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of Republic Services from $250.00 to $246.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 31st. National Bankshares reduced their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $270.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Republic Services in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Republic Services in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $255.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Republic Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $250.64.

Republic Services Stock Down 0.9%

RSG opened at $210.12 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $65.05 billion, a PE ratio of 31.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.58. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $199.43 and a 1 year high of $258.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $212.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $226.01.

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

Republic Services Announces Dividend

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

About Republic Services

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.