United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 45.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 56,622 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 47,607 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Republic Services were worth $11,391,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,590,728 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,740,083,000 after purchasing an additional 144,719 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in Republic Services by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 6,262,325 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,259,855,000 after acquiring an additional 218,729 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Republic Services by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,565,137 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $918,045,000 after acquiring an additional 57,616 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,129,322 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $626,553,000 after acquiring an additional 509,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $553,039,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Republic Services Stock Performance

RSG traded down $0.51 on Friday, hitting $243.11. 837,780 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,114,579. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $180.92 and a 12-month high of $249.73. 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 50 day moving average of $235.49 and a 200-day moving average of $218.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.92 billion, a PE ratio of 37.46, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.62.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $4.05 billion for 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%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.41 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were paid a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services's payout ratio is currently 35.75%.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In other news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the company'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 in the company, valued at $2,376,931.20. This represents a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RSG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Argus set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Republic Services in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Republic Services from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cibc World Mkts raised shares of Republic Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $239.13.

Republic Services Company 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.