Republic Services, Inc. $RSG Shares Sold by Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA lowered its stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 16.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 110,415 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 21,742 shares during the period. Republic Services makes up approximately 1.7% of Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $24,182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SteelPeak Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 130.0% in the fourth quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 12,386 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,625,000 after purchasing an additional 7,001 shares in the last quarter. Numerai GP LLC acquired a new stake in Republic Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $7,934,000. Rathbones Group PLC boosted its position in Republic Services by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 93,182 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $21,383,000 after buying an additional 9,611 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the third quarter worth $7,079,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Republic Services by 8.6% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 203,444 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $46,687,000 after acquiring an additional 16,027 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Stock Performance

NYSE:RSG opened at $217.27 on Friday. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.41 and a 12 month high of $246.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.85 billion, a PE ratio of 31.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.40. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $208.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $214.23.

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

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is 35.87%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Sandra M. Volpe sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.28, for a total transaction of $380,304.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 58 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,254.24. This trade represents a 96.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. purchased 60,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $213.31 per share, for a total transaction of $12,947,917.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 110,803,982 shares in the company, valued at $23,635,597,400.42. This trade represents a 0.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought 987,150 shares of company stock valued at $202,366,682 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup decreased their target price on Republic Services from $253.00 to $247.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Republic Services from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Weiss Ratings cut Republic Services from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Republic Services from $233.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Republic Services from $242.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.26.

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.