World Investment Advisors Boosts Stock Position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

World Investment Advisors raised its position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG - Free Report) by 35.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,137 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,082 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors' holdings in Republic Services were worth $832,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. OneAscent Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at $200,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 11,842 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,382,000 after buying an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth about $1,271,000. Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new position in Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,216,000. Finally, 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. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Republic Services Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE RSG traded up $3.86 on Friday, reaching $244.09. 1,569,337 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,119,508. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The business's fifty day moving average price is $233.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $216.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.62. Republic Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $180.92 and a fifty-two week high of $249.73.

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

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on RSG shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Republic Services from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised 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. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Argus set a $260.00 price target on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Republic Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $239.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Republic Services news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,931.20. This trade represents a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.