Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Decreases Stock Holdings in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. trimmed its position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 160,083 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 411 shares during the quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. owned 0.05% of Republic Services worth $32,205,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Republic Services in the third quarter worth $25,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $27,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Republic Services during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Republic Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Republic Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of RSG stock opened at $231.92 on Wednesday. Republic Services, Inc. has a one year low of $180.91 and a one year high of $240.95. The company’s 50-day moving average is $220.16 and its 200 day moving average is $211.24. The company has a market capitalization of $72.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.58.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s payout ratio is presently 35.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on RSG. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Republic Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.88.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total transaction of $1,436,062.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,376,931.20. This trade represents a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Company 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.