Pacer Advisors Inc. Buys 4,978 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. $RSG

Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 30.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 21,421 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,978 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $4,540,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kera Capital Partners Inc. lifted its position in Republic Services by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,183 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC increased its holdings in Republic Services by 247.5% in the 4th quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 20,793 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,406,000 after buying an additional 14,809 shares during the period. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $134,000. Dean Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 8,370 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. Finally, Vancity Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $216,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Republic Services from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Republic Services from $240.00 to $223.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Republic Services from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $249.00 price objective on shares of Republic Services in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Republic Services from $233.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.26.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Cascade Investment, L.L.C. acquired 60,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $213.31 per share, with a total value of $12,947,917.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 110,803,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,635,597,400.42. This represents a 0.05% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Sandra M. Volpe sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.28, for a total transaction of $380,304.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 58 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,254.24. This trade represents a 96.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 987,150 shares of company stock worth $202,366,682. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:RSG opened at $204.68 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $207.20 and a 200-day moving average of $214.12. The company has a market capitalization of $62.97 billion, a PE ratio of 29.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.41 and a 52-week high of $251.17.

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

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.625 per share. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.15%.

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.