Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Shares Sold by General American Investors Co. Inc.

General American Investors Co. Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 395,625 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 40,000 shares during the period. Republic Services accounts for 5.5% of General American Investors Co. Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. General American Investors Co. Inc. owned about 0.13% of Republic Services worth $79,457,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its position in Republic Services by 351.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 140 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Webster Bank N. A. acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in Republic Services during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new stake in Republic Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.73% of the company's stock.

Republic Services Stock Performance

NYSE:RSG traded up $1.01 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $208.08. 847,237 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,127,180. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.49 and a 52 week high of $209.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $203.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $197.10.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $4.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 18.18%. The firm's revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.54 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Republic Services's payout ratio is 37.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on RSG shares. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Republic Services from $219.00 to $214.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Republic Services from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Republic Services from $208.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, October 4th. They set a "sector perform" rating and a $224.00 price target on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $215.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Tomago Collins sold 3,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.01, for a total transaction of $649,632.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,486 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,549,832.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.