Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. Reduces Holdings in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. cut its stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 304 shares during the period. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co.’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $801,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in RSG. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Republic Services by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,791 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $398,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN grew its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 2,858 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Republic Services by 217.7% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 76,038 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,539,000 after acquiring an additional 52,104 shares during the period. Robeco Schweiz AG lifted its position in Republic Services by 65.9% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 34,500 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,917,000 after acquiring an additional 13,700 shares during the period. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,993,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE RSG traded up $0.29 on Thursday, hitting $189.24. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 130,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,176,734. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $185.28 and a 200-day moving average of $168.34. The company has a market capitalization of $59.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.68. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $135.33 and a 12-month high of $192.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.56.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The business services provider reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.13. Republic Services had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 11.57%. The firm had revenue of $3.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.13 EPS. Republic Services’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.01 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 2nd were paid a $0.535 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 1st. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.13%. Republic Services’s payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on RSG. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $198.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group downgraded shares of Republic Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $175.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Republic Services from $182.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Republic Services in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Republic Services from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $199.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, March 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Ark Jon Vander sold 5,446 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.10, for a total transaction of $1,002,608.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 85,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,669,303.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.