United Services Automobile Association Makes New $1.12 Million Investment in Republic Services, Inc. $RSG

Key Points

• United Services Automobile Association has invested approximately $1.12 million in Republic Services, acquiring 4,685 shares of the business services provider's stock.
• Republic Services has declared an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.58 to $0.625, reflecting an annualized dividend of $2.50 and a yield of 1.1%.
• Wall Street analysts have generally rated Republic Services favorably, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price around $262.17.

United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 4,685 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,118,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in RSG. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Republic Services by 75.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,822 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,988,000 after purchasing an additional 8,547 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in Republic Services by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 12,385 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,492,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. grew its holdings in Republic Services by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 14,471 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,654 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in Republic Services by 20.4% during the fourth quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 3,900 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $785,000 after purchasing an additional 662 shares during the period. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $246,000. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company's stock.

Republic Services Price Performance

Shares of Republic Services stock traded down $3.75 during trading on Friday, reaching $228.46. 891,769 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,269,885. The company has a market capitalization of $71.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $236.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $240.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $197.60 and a 52-week high of $258.75.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.01. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.27% and a net margin of 12.97%.The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.61 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Republic Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.820-6.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be given a $0.625 dividend. This is an increase from Republic Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Republic Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on RSG. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Republic Services from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. UBS Group set a $260.00 target price on shares of Republic Services and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Melius Research raised shares of Republic Services to a "hold" rating and set a $281.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, June 9th. Melius began coverage on shares of Republic Services in a report on Monday, June 9th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Republic Services from $280.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Republic Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $262.17.

Insider Transactions at Republic Services

In other news, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. acquired 4,258 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $234.91 per share, with a total value of $1,000,246.78. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 109,816,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,797,072,005.12. This trade represents a 0.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Gregg Brummer sold 7,338 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.94, for a total transaction of $1,716,651.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,060 shares in the company, valued at $949,796.40. This trade represents a 64.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

About Republic Services

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.