Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. Raises Stock Position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. increased its stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 16.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,458 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,501 shares during the period. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Republic Services were worth $4,920,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services during the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services during the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE RSG traded up $0.26 on Friday, reaching $231.12. 504,948 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 991,179. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $212.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $208.27. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $180.91 and a 12 month high of $232.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a market cap of $72.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.74.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 analysts' expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. Republic Services's payout ratio is presently 35.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Republic Services from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $231.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were 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 $2,376,931.20. This trade represents a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total transaction of $400,186.93. Following the sale, the director now owns 879 shares in the company, valued at $189,222.33. The trade was a 67.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.