Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Has $70.89 Million Stock Position in Republic Services, Inc. $RSG

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer & Co. Zurich reduced its stake in Republic Services by 22.1% in the fourth quarter, but still held 334,016 shares valued at about $70.9 million.
• Insider buying remains notable: major shareholder Cascade Investment bought 366,000 shares at $202.24 each, and insiders purchased 499,150 shares worth more than $100.5 million over the last quarter.
• Republic Services posted better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $1.70 versus the $1.64 consensus and revenue of $4.11 billion, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.625 per share.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich cut its stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 22.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 334,016 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 94,622 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned approximately 0.11% of Republic Services worth $70,894,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RSG. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Republic Services in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in Republic Services in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Republic Services by 121.8% in the 3rd quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 122 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Republic Services in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Republic Services in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Republic Services

Here are the key news stories impacting Republic Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cascade Investment, L.L.C., Republic Services’ major shareholder, bought three separate blocks of stock over the last few days, including a 366,000-share purchase at $202.24 and additional buys of 55,000 and 78,150 shares. Large insider buying is often viewed as a sign of confidence in the company’s outlook. SEC filing for Cascade Investment purchases
• Positive Sentiment: A Zacks piece highlighted Republic Services as a long-term growth name, pointing to the company’s appeal as a steady operator with growth characteristics. Zacks article on RSG long-term growth
• Neutral Sentiment: A Yahoo Finance-linked deep dive said first-quarter pricing gains, digital investments, and acquisitions helped offset flat volumes, suggesting Republic’s core business remains resilient but volume growth is still muted. RSG Q1 Deep Dive article
• Negative Sentiment: Argus Research downgraded Republic Services to Hold, and related coverage noted the stock hit a new 1-year low after the downgrade. That analyst move likely weighed on shares and reflects more cautious near-term sentiment. Argus downgrades Republic Services

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. purchased 366,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $202.24 per share, for a total transaction of $74,019,840.00. Following the purchase, the insider owned 110,315,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,310,304,199.68. This represents a 0.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 499,150 shares of company stock valued at $100,527,357. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Republic Services from $253.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $227.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Republic Services from $256.00 to $255.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $233.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $245.15.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of RSG stock opened at $203.66 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm's 50-day moving average is $215.61 and its 200-day moving average is $215.04. The stock has a market cap of $62.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.22, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.43. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.41 and a 52-week high of $258.75.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. Republic Services had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 18.57%. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.58 EPS. Republic Services's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a $0.625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Republic Services's dividend payout ratio is 36.15%.

About Republic Services

Republic Services, Inc is a leading provider of non-hazardous solid waste and recycling services in the United States. The company offers a broad range of waste management solutions to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers, positioning itself as a full-service partner for everyday waste collection as well as specialized disposal needs.

Republic's core operations include curbside and commercial collection, transfer and hauling, materials recovery and recycling facilities, and landfill disposal.

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