Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) is Inceptionr LLC's 5th Largest Position

Inceptionr LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 495.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,816 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,832 shares during the quarter. Waste Management accounts for about 0.5% of Inceptionr LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Inceptionr LLC's holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GPM Growth Investors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 144.2% in the 4th quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. now owns 11,045 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,229,000 after purchasing an additional 6,522 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $340,611,000. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $394,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $1,290,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 115,722 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $23,352,000 after acquiring an additional 722 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,547 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.11, for a total value of $352,886.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 44,037 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,045,280.07. This trade represents a 3.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.55, for a total transaction of $46,094.95. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,066 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold 75,173 shares of company stock valued at $17,075,967 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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Waste Management Price Performance

NYSE WM traded up $3.55 on Friday, reaching $229.51. The company had a trading volume of 1,906,115 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,524,248. 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 $92.29 billion, a PE ratio of 33.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $218.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $214.73. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.59 and a 12 month high of $235.81.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict 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 will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. This is a boost 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 is Friday, March 14th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. CIBC lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Nine equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $236.65.

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.