Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Boosts Stock Holdings in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,354 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $8,425,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Republic Services during the first quarter worth about $29,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Republic Services in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in Republic Services by 3,014.3% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 218 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new position in Republic Services in the second quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Republic Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Republic Services

In other news, Director Tomago Collins sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.01, for a total value of $649,632.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,549,832.86. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Republic Services Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of RSG opened at $201.39 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $63.42 billion, a PE ratio of 35.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s fifty day moving average is $202.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $193.79. Republic Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $140.23 and a fifty-two week high of $208.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05.

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

Republic Services Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on RSG. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Republic Services from $201.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Republic Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Republic Services from $219.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Republic Services from $211.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, CIBC increased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $196.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $211.00.

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.