Sterling Investment Management LLC Lowers Position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Sterling Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,241 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 89 shares during the period. Sterling Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $1,256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Republic Services in the third quarter worth $25,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its holdings in Republic Services by 351.6% in 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 period. Webster Bank N. A. bought a new position in shares of Republic Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Republic Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Republic Services news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $189,222.33. The trade was a 67.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Brian M. Delghiaccio sold 5,071 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.02, for a total transaction of $1,065,011.42. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,326,906.36. This trade represents a 44.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on RSG shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Republic Services from $219.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Republic Services from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $211.00 to $238.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Republic Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $221.12.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of RSG stock opened at $214.87 on Wednesday. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $167.51 and a 12 month high of $220.58. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $209.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $204.74. The stock has a market cap of $67.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.20. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 18.18%. The company had revenue of $4.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.25 earnings per share for the current year.

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.