Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Has $2.77 Million Holdings in Republic Services, Inc. $RSG

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 58.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 12,638 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,684 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $2,768,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in Republic Services in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Republic Services during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RSG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Republic Services from $242.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Argus cut shares of Republic Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $249.00 price objective on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Republic Services from $247.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.89.

Republic Services Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE RSG opened at $210.75 on Friday. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.41 and a 1 year high of $238.62. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $212.57 and its 200-day moving average is $214.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.84 billion, a PE ratio of 30.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.40.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.57% and a net margin of 13.00%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.58 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 7.29 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. 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. Republic Services’s payout ratio is 35.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Republic Services news, 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 sale, the director directly owned 58 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,254.24. This trade represents a 96.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. purchased 366,000 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $202.24 per share, for a total transaction of $74,019,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 110,315,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,310,304,199.68. This represents a 0.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 987,150 shares of company stock valued at $202,366,682. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.