Groupe la Francaise Decreases Stake in Republic Services, Inc. $RSG

Groupe la Francaise decreased its holdings in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 39.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 60,883 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 39,353 shares during the quarter. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $13,322,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Republic Services by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 445 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its position in shares of Republic Services by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 10,454 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,216,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 1,925 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $408,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. ICONIQ Capital LLC raised its holdings in Republic Services by 3.3% during the second quarter. ICONIQ Capital LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $384,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCentric Advisors LLC boosted its position in Republic Services by 5.9% during the first quarter. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC now owns 903 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $198,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sandra M. Volpe sold 1,800 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.28, for a total value of $380,304.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 58 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,254.24. The trade was a 96.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. bought 60,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $213.31 per share, with a total value of $12,947,917.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 110,803,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,635,597,400.42. This trade represents a 0.05% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 987,150 shares of company stock valued at $202,366,682. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of NYSE:RSG opened at $211.32 on Friday. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.41 and a 12-month high of $238.62. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $212.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $215.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $65.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.32, a PEG ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.40.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. Republic Services had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 18.57%. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.58 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 7.29 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Republic Services’s payout ratio is currently 35.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on RSG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Republic Services from $233.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce restated an “outperform” rating and set a $249.00 target price on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $227.00 to $233.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Republic Services from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Republic Services from $242.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.89.

Republic Services Profile

Republic Services, Inc is a leading provider of non-hazardous solid waste and recycling services in the United States. The company offers a broad range of waste management solutions to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers, positioning itself as a full-service partner for everyday waste collection as well as specialized disposal needs.

Republic’s core operations include curbside and commercial collection, transfer and hauling, materials recovery and recycling facilities, and landfill disposal.