Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,596 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,129,000.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 12.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,433,408 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $505,175,000 after purchasing an additional 276,287 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its stake in Waste Management by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 990 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 12,706 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,638,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. grew its stake in Waste Management by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 11,210 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,327,000 after purchasing an additional 489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 245.6% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,413 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,954,000 after acquiring an additional 6,689 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management
In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 191 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.22, for a total transaction of $42,062.02. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 6,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,349,728.38. This trade represents a 3.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John J. Morris sold 19,153 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.71, for a total transaction of $4,303,870.63. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,257 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,158,100.47. This represents a 18.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 95,577 shares of company stock worth $21,662,464 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Waste Management Stock Performance
WM stock traded up $1.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $230.84. 1,372,304 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,639,884. The business has a 50-day moving average of $227.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $218.80. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.59 and a 52 week high of $239.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.87 billion, a PE ratio of 33.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.66.
Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. As a group, equities analysts predict 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 was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. Waste Management's payout ratio is 48.53%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research firms have recently commented on WM. StockNews.com cut Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James lifted their price target on Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $237.76.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Waste Management
About Waste Management
(
Free Report)
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.
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