Candriam S.C.A. Increases Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 43.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 916,273 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 277,916 shares during the quarter. Waste Management comprises approximately 1.1% of Candriam S.C.A.'s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Candriam S.C.A. owned 0.23% of Waste Management worth $184,895,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth about $340,611,000. Swedbank AB raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 67.2% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,765,594 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $366,537,000 after purchasing an additional 709,678 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 5,120,772 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,063,072,000 after purchasing an additional 520,096 shares during the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its position 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 worth $374,062,000 after purchasing an additional 437,613 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 138.0% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 718,546 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $149,168,000 after purchasing an additional 416,579 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup boosted their target price on Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Nine equities research 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.com, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $236.65.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 4,126 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.11, for a total value of $941,181.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 62,639 shares in the company, valued at $14,288,582.29. This represents a 6.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.55, for a total value of $46,094.95. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,066 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders sold 75,173 shares of company stock worth $17,075,967 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM traded up $3.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $229.51. 1,906,115 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,524,248. The company's 50 day moving average price is $218.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $214.73. The firm has a market cap of $92.29 billion, a PE ratio of 33.75, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75. 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 52 week low of $196.59 and a 52 week high of $235.81.

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 (EPS) 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%. On average, equities analysts expect 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. This is an increase from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 48.53%.

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.