Republic Services, Inc. $RSG Shares Sold by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lowered its stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 450,940 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 21,280 shares during the quarter. Republic Services comprises about 1.0% of Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned 0.15% of Republic Services worth $98,765,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new stake in Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Republic Services during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE RSG opened at $216.79 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.41 and a 12 month high of $246.25. The company has a market cap of $66.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $212.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $214.85.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.57% and a net margin of 13.00%.The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.58 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd were given a $0.625 dividend. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is 35.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on RSG. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Republic Services from $247.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Republic Services from $240.00 to $223.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $249.00 price target on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Republic Services from $233.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $242.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.89.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In other news, Director Sandra M. Volpe sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.28, for a total value of $380,304.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 58 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,254.24. This trade represents a 96.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. acquired 366,000 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $202.24 per share, with a total value of $74,019,840.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 110,315,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,310,304,199.68. This represents a 0.33% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have acquired 987,150 shares of company stock worth $202,366,682. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.