Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Shares Sold by Tradewinds LLC.

Tradewinds LLC. cut its stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 0.7% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 30,326 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 223 shares during the period. Republic Services makes up about 2.1% of Tradewinds LLC.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Tradewinds LLC.’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $7,344,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Republic Services in the 4th quarter valued at $553,039,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Republic Services by 39,024.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,226,177 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $539,091,000 after buying an additional 2,220,487 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth about $184,827,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in Republic Services by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,317,804 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,069,836,000 after acquiring an additional 499,237 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its stake in Republic Services by 170.6% during the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 584,345 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $117,559,000 after acquiring an additional 368,395 shares in the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of RSG stock opened at $241.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $75.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $248.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $233.53. Republic Services, Inc. has a one year low of $188.82 and a one year high of $258.75.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.05. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.88%. The company had revenue of $4.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Republic Services from $229.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Republic Services from $232.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Republic Services from $233.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered Republic Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $265.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $252.68.

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.