Empirical Finance LLC Buys 157 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Empirical Finance LLC grew its stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 2.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,185 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 157 shares during the quarter. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $1,740,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in RSG. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Republic Services by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 9,973 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,415,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in Republic Services by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 8,648 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,740,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Republic Services by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,154 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC grew its stake in Republic Services by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 7,659 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,541,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC grew its position in shares of Republic Services by 9.3% in the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 599 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $145,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Republic Services Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE RSG opened at $245.01 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $247.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $237.59. 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 $76.57 billion, a PE ratio of 36.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.61. Republic Services, Inc. has a one year low of $188.82 and a one year high of $258.75.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.05. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 18.28%. The firm had revenue of $4.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.625 dividend. This is a boost from Republic Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 2nd. Republic Services’s payout ratio is presently 34.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on RSG shares. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Republic Services from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $262.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, April 25th. National Bank Financial raised Republic Services to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Republic Services from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.16.

Republic Services Company 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.