Maryland State Retirement & Pension System trimmed its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,524 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 1,411 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's holdings in Waste Management were worth $4,343,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,768 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,366,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,039 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $411,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Maia Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 1,213 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Waste Management by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,091 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $624,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Waste Management by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 8,511 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms recently weighed in on WM. StockNews.com cut shares of Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note 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 report on Wednesday, December 11th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James upped their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Nine equities 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $236.65.
View Our Latest Stock Report on WM
Waste Management Price Performance
Shares of WM stock traded up $1.26 during trading on Monday, hitting $226.17. The company had a trading volume of 1,518,971 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,532,300. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $196.59 and a one year high of $235.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.76. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $222.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $215.91.
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 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%. Equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Waste Management Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Waste Management's payout ratio is presently 48.53%.
Insider Transactions at Waste Management
In related news, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 44,405 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total transaction of $10,143,434.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,061 shares in the company, valued at $48,212,664.23. This represents a 17.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 693 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.59, for a total value of $152,868.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 45,542 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,046,109.78. The trade was a 1.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 95,577 shares of company stock valued at $21,662,464. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.
About Waste Management
(
Free Report)
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.
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