Bank of Jackson Hole Trust Invests $805,000 in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 3,990 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $805,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 94,414.4% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,591,584 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $538,013,000 after buying an additional 2,588,842 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its position in Waste Management by 67.2% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,765,594 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $366,537,000 after acquiring an additional 709,678 shares in the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 11.3% during the third quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 5,120,772 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,063,072,000 after buying an additional 520,096 shares during the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 32.1% in the 3rd quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,801,842 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $374,062,000 after acquiring an additional 437,613 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 138.0% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 718,546 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $149,168,000 after buying an additional 416,579 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM traded down $1.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $227.89. 1,709,065 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,665,810. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $196.59 and a one year high of $230.39. The company has a market cap of $91.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $213.14 and a 200 day moving average of $212.81.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a return on equity of 38.88% and a net margin of 12.45%. 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 44.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Waste Management from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $235.94.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 560 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.11, for a total transaction of $123,261.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,152 shares in the company, valued at $2,014,446.72. This trade represents a 5.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.55, for a total value of $46,094.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,066 shares in the company, valued at $1,999,506.30. This represents a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,055 shares of company stock worth $3,578,340 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

About Waste Management

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.