Delta Financial Group Inc. Takes $213,000 Position in Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Delta Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,057 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $213,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Republic Services in the third quarter worth $25,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI grew its stake in Republic Services by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Republic Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Republic Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. 57.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Republic Services Stock Performance

Shares of Republic Services stock opened at $230.73 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $72.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.74. Republic Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $180.91 and a twelve month high of $232.52. The company’s fifty day moving average is $212.87 and its 200 day moving average is $208.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.21. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. The firm had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Republic Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Republic Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on RSG shares. Argus set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Republic Services in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Republic Services from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Republic Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $233.41.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $189,222.33. The trade was a 67.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total transaction of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,376,931.20. This trade represents a 37.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.