Kowal Investment Group LLC Raises Stake in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Kowal Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,065 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. Kowal Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $401,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Republic Services during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Republic Services during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 3,014.3% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 218 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the period. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services in the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 584.2% in the 1st quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 260 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. 57.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Republic Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Republic Services from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Republic Services from $208.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. CIBC raised their target price on shares of Republic Services from $196.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Republic Services from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Republic Services currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $211.00.

Insider Transactions at Republic Services

In other news, Director Tomago Collins sold 3,200 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.01, for a total transaction of $649,632.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,486 shares in the company, valued at $3,549,832.86. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of RSG opened at $201.39 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market cap of $63.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.33, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50-day moving average of $202.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $193.79. Republic Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $140.23 and a 12-month high of $208.69.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Republic Services had a net margin of 12.11% and a return on equity of 17.81%. As a group, research analysts predict that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 2nd. This is an increase from Republic Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.15%. Republic Services’s payout ratio is 40.70%.

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.