Axa S.A. Grows Stock Holdings in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

AXA S.A. grew its holdings in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 526,270 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,792 shares during the quarter. AXA S.A. owned about 0.17% of Republic Services worth $105,875,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in RSG. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Republic Services by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,213 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $445,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Access Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Republic Services by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Access Financial Services Inc. now owns 6,178 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,243,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,697 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $341,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Umpqua Bank increased its position in shares of Republic Services by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 1,808 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $374,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Republic Services by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,579 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. CIBC upgraded shares of Republic Services from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $264.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Republic Services from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Argus set a $260.00 price objective on Republic Services in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $249.00.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In related news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,931.20. This represents a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Republic Services Price Performance

Shares of Republic Services stock traded up $0.22 on Monday, reaching $250.74. The stock had a trading volume of 1,071,303 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,100,491. The business's 50 day moving average is $239.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $221.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $180.92 and a 1 year high of $252.40. The company has a market cap of $78.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.66.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. The firm's revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Republic Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.99%.

About Republic Services

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.