Barclays PLC Sells 180,409 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Barclays PLC cut its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 26.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 494,754 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 180,409 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.16% of Republic Services worth $99,536,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of RSG. Garner Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in Republic Services by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 4,911 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $988,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Republic Services by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 15,207 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,060,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares during the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Republic Services by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 58,942 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $11,858,000 after acquiring an additional 2,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Republic Services by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,085 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,059,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company's stock.

Republic Services Stock Performance

RSG traded down $0.51 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $243.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 837,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,114,579. The company's 50-day moving average is $235.49 and its 200-day moving average is $218.06. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $180.92 and a 52 week high of $249.73. The firm has a market cap of $75.92 billion, a PE ratio of 37.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.58.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were given a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 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 35.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,376,931.20. This represents a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RSG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Wednesday. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cibc World Mkts upgraded Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Republic Services from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $239.13.

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.