Callan Family Office LLC Invests $2.33 Million in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 11,555 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,332,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WM. Welch & Forbes LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 6,480 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,308,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in Waste Management by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 916,273 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $184,895,000 after acquiring an additional 277,916 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its position in Waste Management by 29.0% in the fourth quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 3,797 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $766,000 after acquiring an additional 854 shares during the period. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 1,417 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, McDonough Capital Management Inc raised its position in Waste Management by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. McDonough Capital Management Inc now owns 26,569 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,362,000 after acquiring an additional 1,875 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Waste Management Price Performance

WM stock traded up $3.55 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $229.51. The company had a trading volume of 1,906,115 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,524,995. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.59 and a 1 year high of $235.81. The company has a market capitalization of $92.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $218.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $214.73.

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

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Waste Management's payout ratio is presently 48.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WM has been the topic of several research reports. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price 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. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Nine equities research 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $236.65.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.96, for a total transaction of $29,135.04. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,491 shares in the company, valued at $1,995,045.36. This represents a 1.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 44,405 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total transaction of $10,143,434.15. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,061 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,212,664.23. This represents a 17.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 75,173 shares of company stock worth $17,075,967. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.