Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Acquires 2,651 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 64,077 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,651 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Republic Services were worth $12,891,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of RSG. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Republic Services by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,590,728 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,740,083,000 after buying an additional 144,719 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Republic Services by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 6,262,325 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,259,855,000 after acquiring an additional 218,729 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Republic Services by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,317,804 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,069,836,000 after purchasing an additional 499,237 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Republic Services by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,565,137 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $918,045,000 after purchasing an additional 57,616 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Republic Services by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,129,322 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $626,553,000 after purchasing an additional 509,116 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company's stock.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.1 %

RSG traded up $0.22 during trading on Monday, reaching $250.74. 1,071,303 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,100,491. The stock has a market cap of $78.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.64. Republic Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $180.92 and a fifty-two week high of $252.40. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $239.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $221.52.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.05. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. The firm had revenue of $4.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. Republic Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.99%.

Insider Transactions at Republic Services

In related news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total value of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,931.20. The trade was a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Republic Services from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, April 25th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Republic Services from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $249.00.

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.