Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 170,046 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 7.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,426,067 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 170,046 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.60% of Waste Management worth $489,570,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Dnca Finance bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,650,000. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in Waste Management by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 3,150 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $636,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 122,198 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $24,658,000 after purchasing an additional 1,854 shares in the last quarter. Capital Square LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $219,000. Finally, Farringdon Capital Ltd. acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,135,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM stock traded down $1.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $228.93. 1,797,136 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,645,280. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.59 and a 52 week high of $239.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.67, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.66. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $227.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $219.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.76.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John J. Morris sold 19,153 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 85,257 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,158,100.47. The trade was a 18.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 191 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.22, for a total value of $42,062.02. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,129 shares in the company, valued at $1,349,728.38. This trade represents a 3.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 95,577 shares of company stock valued at $21,662,464 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. CIBC increased their price objective on Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup increased their price target on Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, January 31st. 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $237.76.

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.