Hartford Investment Management Co. Sells 321 Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Hartford Investment Management Co. reduced its stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,542 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 321 shares during the period. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $2,523,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of RSG. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Republic Services by 37.5% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 17,682 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,586,000 after purchasing an additional 4,827 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 13.0% during the third quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 114,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $23,013,000 after buying an additional 13,138 shares during the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,430,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $6,102,000. Finally, Lifeworks Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 1,112.3% during the third quarter. Lifeworks Advisors LLC now owns 21,469 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,312,000 after buying an additional 19,698 shares during the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $235.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. CIBC raised their target price on shares of Republic Services from $217.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Republic Services from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Republic Services from $219.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.38.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE:RSG opened at $223.38 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.74, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.74. Republic Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $172.23 and a 1-year high of $224.45. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $210.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $206.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.12%.

Insider Activity at Republic Services

In other Republic Services news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total transaction of $400,186.93. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $189,222.33. This trade represents a 67.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brian M. Delghiaccio sold 5,071 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,318 shares in the company, valued at $1,326,906.36. The trade was a 44.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Republic Services 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.