Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Sold by Korea Investment CORP

Korea Investment CORP lessened its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 28.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 317,319 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 126,153 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP owned 0.08% of Waste Management worth $64,032,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 892.9% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 139 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. General Partner Inc. purchased a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Pineridge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Stock Up 1.0 %

Waste Management stock traded up $2.34 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $233.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,669,619 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,619,225. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.59 and a 52-week high of $235.81. The stock has a market cap of $94.03 billion, a PE ratio of 34.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $225.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $216.98.

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Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. On average, analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on WM. Scotiabank raised their target price on Waste Management from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $236.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 44,405 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total value of $10,143,434.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,061 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $48,212,664.23. The trade was a 17.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO John A. Carroll sold 1,251 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.92, for a total value of $282,625.92. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,420 shares in the company, valued at $1,902,246.40. This represents a 12.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 95,577 shares of company stock worth $21,662,464 over the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Waste Management 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.