Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Has $15.83 Million Stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its holdings in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 3.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,377 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,918 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.'s holdings in Republic Services were worth $15,832,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Republic Services by 3,533.3% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 109 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Republic Services by 70.2% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 177 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Proathlete Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Republic Services in the first quarter valued at $76,000. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Republic Services Price Performance

RSG stock traded up $1.27 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $240.58. The company had a trading volume of 1,386,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,147,982. The company has a market capitalization of $75.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $248.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $234.04. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $188.82 and a 1-year high of $258.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.88%. Republic Services's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 2nd. Republic Services's payout ratio is 34.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on RSG. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Republic Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $265.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $229.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Republic Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $255.21.

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.