Republic Services, Inc. $RSG Holdings Decreased by DE Burlo Group Inc.

Key Points

• DE Burlo Group Inc. cut its stake in Republic Services by 48.2% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 31,883 shares valued at about $6.76 million.
• Republic Services posted better-than-expected quarterly results, earning $1.70 per share versus the $1.64 estimate, while revenue rose 2.6% year over year to $4.11 billion.
• The stock has a moderate buy consensus from analysts, with a target price of $243.26, and the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.625 per share payable July 15.

DE Burlo Group Inc. lessened its stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 48.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,883 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 29,615 shares during the period. DE Burlo Group Inc.'s holdings in Republic Services were worth $6,757,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in RSG. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Republic Services

In other news, Director Sandra M. Volpe sold 1,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.28, for a total value of $380,304.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 58 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,254.24. This represents a 96.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. acquired 366,000 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $202.24 per share, with a total value of $74,019,840.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 110,315,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,310,304,199.68. The trade was a 0.33% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders bought a total of 987,150 shares of company stock worth $202,366,682 in the last quarter. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on RSG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Republic Services from $242.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $251.00 to $248.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Republic Services from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Republic Services in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $243.26.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.8%

RSG stock opened at $209.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.41. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.41 and a 52-week high of $253.38. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $208.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $214.52.

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

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. Republic Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.15%.

Republic Services Company Profile

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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