Natural Investments LLC Acquires Shares of 1,189 Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Natural Investments LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,189 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $239,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AGF Management Ltd. increased its position in Waste Management by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 559,341 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $112,869,000 after buying an additional 49,742 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 375.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 255,359 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $51,529,000 after purchasing an additional 201,621 shares in the last quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 87.6% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 197 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. increased its holdings in Waste Management by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 3,329 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $672,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Donaldson Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 30,096 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $6,073,000 after purchasing an additional 1,634 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Waste Management Price Performance

WM traded up $0.06 during trading on Thursday, reaching $222.92. The stock had a trading volume of 1,612,621 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,532,216. The stock has a market cap of $89.64 billion, a PE ratio of 32.78, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.76. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $196.59 and a one year high of $235.81. The business has a 50-day moving average of $220.05 and a 200-day moving average of $215.15.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 37.93%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. This is an increase from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management's payout ratio is currently 48.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on WM shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, January 31st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $236.65.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 191 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.22, for a total value of $42,062.02. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,349,728.38. The trade was a 3.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 560 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.11, for a total value of $123,261.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,014,446.72. This represents a 5.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 95,577 shares of company stock worth $21,662,464. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Profile

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.