First Business Financial Services Inc. Boosts Stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

First Business Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,494 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 558 shares during the quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $2,509,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of RSG. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its position in shares of Republic Services by 351.6% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 140 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Webster Bank N. A. acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Republic Services during the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Republic Services during the third quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:RSG opened at $209.46 on Friday. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.83 and a 52 week high of $216.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.64. The company has a market cap of $65.59 billion, a PE ratio of 33.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $203.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $197.79.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.20. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.18% and a net margin of 12.46%. The business had revenue of $4.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.54 earnings per share. Republic Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RSG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Republic Services from $208.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Raymond James dropped their price target on Republic Services from $219.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Republic Services from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Republic Services from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, William Blair started coverage on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.71.

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.