Groupama Asset Managment Takes $2.22 Million Position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 11,013 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,216,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 37.5% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 17,682 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,586,000 after purchasing an additional 4,827 shares during the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. boosted its stake in Republic Services by 13.0% during the third quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 114,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,013,000 after buying an additional 13,138 shares during the last quarter. DnB Asset Management AS grew its holdings in Republic Services by 65.1% in the 4th quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 72,931 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $14,672,000 after buying an additional 28,764 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the 4th quarter worth $4,430,000. Finally, Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 44,134 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,879,000 after acquiring an additional 2,548 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Price Performance

RSG stock opened at $244.66 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $229.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $214.60. The company has a market capitalization of $76.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.70, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. Republic Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $180.92 and a twelve month high of $245.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

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

Republic Services Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Republic Services news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the business’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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Republic Services from $239.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, February 14th. Five 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.88.

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.