PFG Investments LLC Purchases New Shares in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

PFG Investments LLC bought a new position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,078 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $343,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Republic Services by 56.3% during the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 197 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Republic Services in the first quarter worth $34,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new position in shares of Republic Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Republic Services during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on RSG shares. UBS Group lowered shares of Republic Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $175.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Republic Services from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Republic Services from $182.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Republic Services from $175.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Republic Services from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Republic Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $193.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Republic Services news, CEO Ark Jon Vander sold 5,446 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.10, for a total value of $1,002,608.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 85,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,669,303.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Republic Services stock opened at $191.37 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Republic Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $131.50 and a twelve month high of $192.57. The company has a market capitalization of $60.21 billion, a PE ratio of 34.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.67.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The business services provider reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.13. Republic Services had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 11.57%. The company had revenue of $3.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.13 EPS. Republic Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.535 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 1st. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

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.