Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC Sells 1,435 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 61,592 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 1,435 shares during the quarter. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC's holdings in Republic Services were worth $14,915,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 75.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,822 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,988,000 after purchasing an additional 8,547 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its holdings in Republic Services by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 329,757 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $66,341,000 after buying an additional 11,128 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Republic Services by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 27,234 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,479,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 87,800 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $17,664,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,230,000. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup upped their target price on Republic Services from $265.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. CIBC raised shares of Republic Services from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $264.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $266.00 target price on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group boosted their target price 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. Finally, Cibc World Mkts raised Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $252.68.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RSG opened at $244.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.84, a PEG ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.63. Republic Services, Inc. has a one year low of $188.82 and a one year high of $258.75. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $248.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $232.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

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

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be issued a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Republic Services's payout ratio is presently 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.

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