Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Sells 5,586 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lessened its stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 15.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,035 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,586 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $6,244,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 37.5% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 17,682 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,586,000 after purchasing an additional 4,827 shares during the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Republic Services by 13.0% during the third quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 114,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,013,000 after purchasing an additional 13,138 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,430,000. Czech National Bank raised its position in Republic Services by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 44,134 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,879,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hickory Point Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Republic Services during the 4th quarter worth $790,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Price Performance

Shares of RSG opened at $238.37 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $227.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $213.80. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $180.92 and a 52-week high of $241.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.44 billion, a PE ratio of 36.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.21. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. The business had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.75%.

Insider Transactions at Republic Services

In related news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on RSG. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. CIBC upgraded Republic Services from a “neutral” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and set a $264.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.88.

Republic Services 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.