Savant Capital LLC Sells 14,882 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. $RSG

Key Points

• Savant Capital LLC cut its stake in Republic Services by 46.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 14,882 shares and leaving it with 17,312 shares valued at about $3.67 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with several funds boosting their positions significantly; overall, institutional investors own 57.73% of Republic Services shares.
• Republic Services beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.70 EPS on $4.11 billion in revenue, while also declaring a $0.625 quarterly dividend to be paid July 15.

Savant Capital LLC lessened its stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 46.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,312 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 14,882 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC's holdings in Republic Services were worth $3,669,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of RSG. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Republic Services by 7,683.2% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 739,792 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $169,768,000 after acquiring an additional 730,287 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Republic Services by 1,337.9% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 575,637 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $121,995,000 after acquiring an additional 535,603 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc raised its holdings in Republic Services by 380.1% during the third quarter. Man Group plc now owns 667,603 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $153,202,000 after acquiring an additional 528,540 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Republic Services by 93.3% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 907,735 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $208,307,000 after acquiring an additional 438,219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec raised its holdings in Republic Services by 49.1% during the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 1,326,827 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $304,480,000 after acquiring an additional 437,166 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on RSG. Argus lowered Republic Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Republic Services from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Republic Services from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Republic Services in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Republic Services from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $245.15.

Republic Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE RSG opened at $200.32 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $61.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.41 and a 1-year high of $258.75. The business's 50 day moving average is $211.11 and its 200-day moving average is $214.80.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.57% and a net margin of 13.00%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.58 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.625 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Republic Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Republic Services

In other news, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. bought 366,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $202.24 per share, for a total transaction of $74,019,840.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 110,315,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,310,304,199.68. This trade represents a 0.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders purchased a total of 987,150 shares of company stock worth $202,366,682 in the last 90 days. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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