Republic Services, Inc. $RSG Shares Bought by Saturna Capital Corp

Saturna Capital Corp lifted its stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 26.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 12,819 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,651 shares during the quarter. Saturna Capital Corp’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $2,717,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of RSG. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Republic Services in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Republic Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In related news, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. acquired 366,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $202.24 per share, with a total value of $74,019,840.00. Following the purchase, the insider owned 110,315,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,310,304,199.68. The trade was a 0.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 987,150 shares of company stock worth $202,366,682. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce restated an “outperform” rating and set a $249.00 price target on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, May 8th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $251.00 to $248.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Republic Services from $227.00 to $233.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Republic Services from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Republic Services from $233.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.26.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of RSG opened at $212.65 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $65.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.41. The company’s fifty day moving average is $209.27 and its 200-day moving average is $214.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.41 and a 12 month high of $253.38.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.10 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 18.57%. Republic Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.58 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.625 per share. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is 36.15%.

About Republic Services

Republic Services, Inc is a leading provider of non-hazardous solid waste and recycling services in the United States. The company offers a broad range of waste management solutions to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers, positioning itself as a full-service partner for everyday waste collection as well as specialized disposal needs.

Republic’s core operations include curbside and commercial collection, transfer and hauling, materials recovery and recycling facilities, and landfill disposal.