SPC Financial Inc. Boosts Holdings in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

SPC Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 25,497 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 328 shares during the quarter. SPC Financial Inc.’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $5,129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of RSG. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 13,190 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,654,000 after purchasing an additional 1,011 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 131.5% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 42,410 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,532,000 after purchasing an additional 24,091 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in Republic Services by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 10,133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,034,000 after acquiring an additional 865 shares during the period. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in Republic Services by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 1,233 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Republic Services by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 940,950 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $189,300,000 after acquiring an additional 15,721 shares during the period. 57.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Republic Services Stock Performance

RSG opened at $235.55 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $217.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $210.28. The company has a market cap of $73.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.74. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $180.91 and a 52-week high of $240.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.75%.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In other Republic Services news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the sale, the director now owns 879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $189,222.33. This represents a 67.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total value of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,931.20. This represents a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $211.00 to $238.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Republic Services from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Argus set a $260.00 target price on shares of Republic Services in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five equities research 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.88.

Republic Services Company Profile

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.