Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,788 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $559,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. World Investment Advisors grew its position in Republic Services by 35.4% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 4,137 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $832,000 after acquiring an additional 1,082 shares in the last quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $200,000. Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of Republic Services by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 11,842 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,382,000 after purchasing an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services during the 4th quarter valued at $1,271,000. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment bought a new stake in Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth $2,216,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:RSG opened at $235.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $73.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $230.70 and a 200 day moving average of $215.14. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $180.92 and a 52 week high of $249.73.

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

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.75%.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total transaction of $1,436,062.60. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares of the company’s stock, 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 is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on RSG shares. Argus set a $260.00 target price on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus raised 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Cibc World Mkts upgraded Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.