Headlands Technologies LLC Sells 4,567 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Headlands Technologies LLC cut its stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 54.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,841 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,567 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $773,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI lifted its stake in Republic Services by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Republic Services by 70.2% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 177 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total value of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,376,931.20. This represents a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Price Performance

RSG stock opened at $244.66 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $229.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $214.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.70, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $180.92 and a 12-month high of $245.00.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s payout ratio is currently 35.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on RSG. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cibc World Mkts raised shares of Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.88.

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.