Westport Asset Management Inc. Purchases Shares of 15,000 Republic Services, Inc. $RSG

Westport Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 15,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,196,000. Republic Services makes up about 1.3% of Westport Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Republic Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Republic Services in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in Republic Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Republic Services during the second quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. acquired 261,664 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $214.89 per share, with a total value of $56,228,976.96. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 111,065,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,866,896,668.94. This trade represents a 0.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sandra M. Volpe sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.28, for a total value of $380,304.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 58 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,254.24. The trade was a 96.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 1,220,674 shares of company stock valued at $263,117,588. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Republic Services Stock Performance

RSG 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 firm has a market cap 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $214.52 and its 200-day moving average is $214.98.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The business services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.04. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 18.69%. The company had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.77 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Republic Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.230-7.280 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 7.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Republic Services from $233.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group raised their price target on Republic Services from $233.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $247.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $232.00 target price on Republic Services in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Republic Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $245.26.

Republic Services Company 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.