Earnest Partners LLC Purchases 23,028 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Earnest Partners LLC raised its position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,254,955 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 23,028 shares during the quarter. Republic Services comprises about 1.1% of Earnest Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Earnest Partners LLC owned about 0.40% of Republic Services worth $252,472,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI lifted its stake in Republic Services by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 132 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its position in Republic Services by 70.2% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 177 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total transaction of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares of the company's stock, 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 SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Republic Services Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE RSG opened at $243.96 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $236.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $219.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.62. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $180.92 and a 1 year high of $249.73.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $4.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be paid a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Republic Services's payout ratio is presently 34.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Cibc World Mkts upgraded Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $245.38.

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.

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