Buffington Mohr McNeal Has $3.95 Million Stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Buffington Mohr McNeal boosted its stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 35.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,230 shares during the quarter. Buffington Mohr McNeal’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $3,949,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Flputnam Investment Management Co. boosted its stake in Republic Services by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 176,298 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,073,000 after buying an additional 6,730 shares in the last quarter. CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. acquired a new position in Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth $709,000. Keel Point LLC acquired a new position in Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth $211,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Republic Services by 222.7% in the fourth quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 3,837 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $633,000 after purchasing an additional 2,648 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Investment Group LTD. acquired a new position in Republic Services in the fourth quarter worth $1,209,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Republic Services news, CEO Ark Jon Vander sold 5,446 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.10, for a total transaction of $1,002,608.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 85,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,669,303.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of RSG traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $187.95. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 529,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,174,058. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $135.33 and a 1-year high of $192.57. The stock has a market cap of $59.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.52, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $184.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The business services provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $3.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.73 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 11.57%. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.535 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 1st. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on RSG shares. UBS Group downgraded Republic Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $175.00 to $195.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Republic Services from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Republic Services from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Republic Services from $175.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Republic Services from $209.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Republic Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.77.

About Republic Services

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.