Cascade Investment, L.L.C. Acquires 149,250 Shares of Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) Stock

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. bought 149,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $215.73 per share, with a total value of $32,197,702.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 111,817,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,122,466,074.88. This represents a 0.13% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Cascade Investment, L.L.C. also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, August 17th, Cascade Investment, L.L.C. purchased 206,800 shares of Republic Services stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $214.92 per share, for a total transaction of $44,445,456.00.
• On Thursday, August 13th, Cascade Investment, L.L.C. acquired 188,460 shares of Republic Services stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $215.81 per share, for a total transaction of $40,671,552.60.
• On Wednesday, August 12th, Cascade Investment, L.L.C. acquired 174,500 shares of Republic Services stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $215.80 per share, with a total value of $37,657,100.00.
• On Tuesday, August 11th, Cascade Investment, L.L.C. bought 240,000 shares of Republic Services stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $216.32 per share, for a total transaction of $51,916,800.00.
• On Monday, August 10th, Cascade Investment, L.L.C. purchased 261,664 shares of Republic Services stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $214.89 per share, for a total transaction of $56,228,976.96.

Republic Services Price Performance

Republic Services stock opened at $220.85 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.64. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.41 and a 52 week high of $238.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $214.52 and a 200-day moving average of $214.98.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The business services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.36 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.69% and a net margin of 12.94%.Republic Services’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.77 earnings per share. Republic Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.230-7.280 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is a boost from Republic Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Republic Services’s payout ratio is presently 35.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on RSG shares. Morgan Stanley set a $232.00 price objective on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $249.00 price target on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup increased their price target on Republic Services from $247.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Republic Services from $233.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, July 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.26.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Republic Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Republic Services during the 2nd quarter worth $3,798,092,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $682,573,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $617,165,000. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of Republic Services by 27.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 8,765,623 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,857,698,000 after acquiring an additional 1,899,183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Republic Services by 38.6% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,348,501 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,133,509,000 after acquiring an additional 1,490,719 shares during the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Republic Services

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.