General American Investors Co. Inc. Has $73.51 Million Stock Position in Republic Services, Inc. $RSG

General American Investors Co. Inc. decreased its position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 5.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 335,625 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 20,000 shares during the quarter. Republic Services accounts for approximately 4.8% of General American Investors Co. Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. General American Investors Co. Inc.’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $73,509,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of RSG traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $219.00. The stock had a trading volume of 773,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,459,172. The firm has a market cap of $67.38 billion, a PE ratio of 31.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $209.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $214.40. Republic Services, Inc. has a one year low of $196.41 and a one year high of $246.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. Republic Services had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 18.57%. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.58 EPS. Republic Services’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Republic Services, Inc. will post 7.27 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a $0.625 dividend. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on RSG. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $227.00 to $233.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Argus downgraded Republic Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Republic Services from $238.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Republic Services from $240.00 to $223.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Republic Services from $233.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Republic Services 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 transaction 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. bought 366,000 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $202.24 per share, with a total value of $74,019,840.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 110,315,982 shares in the company, valued at $22,310,304,199.68. This trade represents a 0.33% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased a total of 987,150 shares of company stock worth $202,366,682 over the last three months. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Republic Services 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.