AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Acquires 55,117 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lifted its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 27.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 255,332 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 55,117 shares during the quarter. Republic Services accounts for 0.9% of AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned 0.08% of Republic Services worth $61,880,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $553,039,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Republic Services by 39,024.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,226,177 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $539,091,000 after buying an additional 2,220,487 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $184,827,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,317,804 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,069,836,000 after acquiring an additional 499,237 shares during the period. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its position in shares of Republic Services by 170.6% during the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 584,345 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $117,559,000 after acquiring an additional 368,395 shares in the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on RSG shares. Argus set a $260.00 target price on shares of Republic Services in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. 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 research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Republic Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Cibc World Mkts raised Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, April 25th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $250.44.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Republic Services stock traded down $2.31 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $254.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,465,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,134,398. The company has a market capitalization of $79.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.16, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.66. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $245.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $228.02. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $184.50 and a 12-month high of $258.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.58.

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

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 2nd. Republic Services's payout ratio is 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.