Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Shares Bought by Advisors Asset Management Inc.

Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 21.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,427 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,697 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Republic Services were worth $7,530,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of RSG. Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in Republic Services by 437.9% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,814,613 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $364,449,000 after acquiring an additional 1,477,255 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Republic Services by 23.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,004,199 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,205,883,000 after buying an additional 1,131,850 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $184,827,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Republic Services by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,129,322 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $626,553,000 after buying an additional 509,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in Republic Services by 544.7% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 545,613 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $109,580,000 after purchasing an additional 460,989 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company's stock.

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Republic Services Trading Down 0.8 %

RSG stock traded down $1.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $232.95. 1,625,553 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,010,427. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $212.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.89, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $180.92 and a 12-month high of $240.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors 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 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on RSG. Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group raised their target price on Republic Services from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Argus set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Republic Services in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised Republic Services from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $211.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $236.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total value of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,931.20. The trade was a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.