Diversify Wealth Management LLC Acquires 1,453 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 13.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,565 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,453 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,604,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in Waste Management by 4,000.0% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 892.9% in the fourth 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 period. General Partner Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.4 %

Waste Management stock traded up $0.78 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $211.79. The stock had a trading volume of 1,663,684 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,458,420. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $213.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $211.26. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.56 and a 12 month high of $230.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.01 billion, a PE ratio of 32.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.07. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.88%. The business had revenue of $5.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.63 EPS. Waste Management's revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.3 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $66,795.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at $834,946.25. This trade represents a 7.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WM shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Waste Management from $230.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Waste Management from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $230.72.

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.