Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Acquired by Advisory Services Network LLC

Advisory Services Network LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 18.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,698 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 4,237 shares during the quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC's holdings in Waste Management were worth $5,387,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Greenland Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Greenland Capital Management LP now owns 19,030 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,840,000 after buying an additional 690 shares during the last quarter. Capula Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth about $333,000. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 131.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 283,341 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $57,188,000 after purchasing an additional 161,130 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 391,225 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $78,945,000 after purchasing an additional 11,810 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Waste Management by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,062,824 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $416,257,000 after purchasing an additional 146,782 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 693 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.59, for a total transaction of $152,868.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 45,542 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,046,109.78. This trade represents a 1.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through 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 transaction of $46,094.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,999,506.30. This trade represents a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 95,577 shares of company stock worth $21,662,464. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WM has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James increased their target price on Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, CIBC boosted their price target on Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $237.76.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $232.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 303,648 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,632,943. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.76. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $227.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $218.47. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $196.59 and a one year high of $239.32. The stock has a market cap of $93.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.66.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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, analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.53%.

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.