Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Position Cut by Hilton Capital Management LLC

Hilton Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 24.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 58,486 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 19,307 shares during the quarter. Republic Services makes up about 1.0% of Hilton Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Hilton Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $11,766,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aviso Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Republic Services by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 14,977 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,013,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. LBP AM SA raised its position in Republic Services by 49.9% in the fourth quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 115,479 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,232,000 after acquiring an additional 38,448 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in Republic Services by 28.3% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 45,684 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $9,191,000 after acquiring an additional 10,072 shares in the last quarter. Impact Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth about $1,702,000. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC bought a new stake in Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth about $216,000. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:RSG opened at $229.08 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $221.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $211.50. Republic Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $180.91 and a fifty-two week high of $240.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s payout ratio is presently 35.75%.

Insider Transactions at Republic Services

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RSG has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. CIBC raised Republic Services from a “neutral” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and set a $264.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Cibc World Mkts raised Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.