Sigma Planning Corp Buys 583 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Sigma Planning Corp boosted its stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 11.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,853 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 583 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $1,177,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RSG. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the third quarter worth $25,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI boosted its position in Republic Services by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Republic Services during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RSG opened at $232.67 on Tuesday. Republic Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $180.91 and a fifty-two week high of $233.42. The company’s 50-day moving average is $213.36 and its 200 day moving average is $208.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.58. The company has a market capitalization of $72.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.74.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 18.28%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RSG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Republic Services from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $211.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $189,222.33. This trade represents a 67.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total value of $1,436,062.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,931.20. The trade was a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.