Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Decreases Stock Position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio cut its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 97,277 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 5,454 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Republic Services were worth $19,570,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GTS Securities LLC grew its stake in Republic Services by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 1,487 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 3,691 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $743,000 after buying an additional 1,512 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its stake in Republic Services by 49.1% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $539,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Republic Services by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,378,638 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $277,354,000 after purchasing an additional 108,414 shares during the period. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RSG has been the topic of a number of research reports. CIBC upgraded shares of Republic Services from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $264.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Republic Services from $232.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Republic Services from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Argus set a $260.00 target price on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $250.44.

Republic Services Stock Performance

NYSE:RSG traded up $1.88 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $256.32. The stock had a trading volume of 482,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,130,095. Republic Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $180.92 and a twelve month high of $256.87. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $244.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $226.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.50, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.66. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.05. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. 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 previous year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be paid 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, July 2nd. Republic Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.99%.

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.