1,650 Shares in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Purchased by Capula Management Ltd

Capula Management Ltd acquired a new position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,650 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $333,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 892.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 139 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. General Partner Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Up 1.3 %

Waste Management stock traded up $2.85 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $229.30. 1,920,866 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,639,419. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $92.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.66. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.59 and a 52-week high of $239.32. The business's 50-day moving average price is $227.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $218.28.

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

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.825 dividend. This is an increase from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Waste Management's payout ratio is 48.53%.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other news, EVP John J. Morris sold 19,153 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.71, for a total transaction of $4,303,870.63. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,066 shares in the company, valued at $1,999,506.30. This represents a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 95,577 shares of company stock worth $21,662,464. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WM. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $237.76.

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.