2,222 Shares in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Acquired by Blueshift Asset Management LLC

Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,222 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $448,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First National Bank of Hutchinson raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 3,742 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $755,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in Waste Management by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 179,692 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $36,260,000 after buying an additional 2,169 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth about $387,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth about $447,000. Finally, Enhancing Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,643,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM stock traded up $1.02 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $227.26. The stock had a trading volume of 1,622,476 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,532,024. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.59 and a fifty-two week high of $235.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $223.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $216.03. The firm has a market cap of $91.38 billion, a PE ratio of 33.42, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75.

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Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 37.93%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Waste Management's payout ratio is presently 48.53%.

Insider Activity

In other Waste Management news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.55, for a total value of $46,094.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,066 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,999,506.30. This trade represents a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,576 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.12, for a total value of $1,016,421.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 58,765 shares in the company, valued at $13,052,881.80. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 95,577 shares of company stock worth $21,662,464 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WM shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, January 31st. CIBC lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Nine 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 MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $236.65.

Waste Management Company 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.