Visualize Group LP Invests $8.74 Million in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Visualize Group LP bought a new position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 43,436 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $8,738,000. Republic Services makes up about 5.5% of Visualize Group LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI increased its holdings in Republic Services by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 132 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Republic Services by 70.2% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 177 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in Republic Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Republic Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total transaction of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,931.20. This represents a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.11% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. CIBC upgraded Republic Services from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $264.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $266.00 price target on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, April 25th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Republic Services from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $249.00.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.1 %

RSG stock traded up $0.22 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $250.74. The stock had a trading volume of 1,071,303 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,100,491. The business has a 50-day moving average of $238.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $221.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm 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 0.62. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $180.92 and a 52-week high of $252.40.

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

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

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

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.