Avanza Fonder AB Buys Shares of 22,022 Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 22,022 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,430,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. TCW Group Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $23,013,000 after acquiring an additional 13,138 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Republic Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $6,102,000. Lifeworks Advisors LLC grew its position in Republic Services by 1,112.3% during the third quarter. Lifeworks Advisors LLC now owns 21,469 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,312,000 after acquiring an additional 19,698 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Republic Services by 15.2% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,663 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,137,000 after acquiring an additional 746 shares during the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RSG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. William Blair started coverage on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Republic Services from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Republic Services from $219.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Scotiabank initiated coverage on Republic Services in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $224.00 target price on the stock. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $221.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Republic Services

In other news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $189,222.33. This trade represents a 67.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brian M. Delghiaccio sold 5,071 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.02, for a total transaction of $1,065,011.42. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,326,906.36. This trade represents a 44.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Republic Services Price Performance

NYSE RSG traded up $1.93 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $213.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,252,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 890,373. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $209.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $204.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.99 and a 1 year high of $220.58. The company has a market capitalization of $66.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.22, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.73.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $4.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.18% and a net margin of 12.46%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.54 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were given a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.08%. Republic Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.12%.

About Republic Services

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.