GWN Securities Inc. Makes New Investment in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

GWN Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,690 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $993,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Republic Services by 37.5% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 17,682 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,586,000 after purchasing an additional 4,827 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Republic Services by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 114,582 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $23,013,000 after buying an additional 13,138 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,430,000. Hickory Point Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $790,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Republic Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $6,102,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Republic Services

In related news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,931.20. This 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 the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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Republic Services Trading Up 0.1 %

RSG traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $234.79. 957,670 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,014,449. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.73. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $223.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $212.29. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $180.92 and a 1-year high of $240.95.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.21. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. The business had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. Republic Services's payout ratio is 35.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RSG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised Republic Services from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Republic Services from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. CIBC raised Republic Services from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $264.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Republic Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $236.88.

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.