Meeder Asset Management Inc. Has $4.35 Million Position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. reduced its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 75.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,551 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 67,241 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Waste Management were worth $4,349,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in Waste Management by 892.9% during the fourth 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 last quarter. General Partner Inc. purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Waste Management by 65.7% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 174 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.55, for a total transaction of $46,094.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,066 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,999,506.30. This represents a 2.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.96, for a total value of $29,135.04. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,491 shares in the company, valued at $1,995,045.36. This represents a 1.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 95,577 shares of company stock worth $21,662,464. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE WM traded up $2.53 during trading on Thursday, reaching $237.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,294,955 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,618,216. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.59 and a twelve month high of $238.90. The firm has a market cap of $95.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75. The business's fifty day moving average price is $225.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $217.10. 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 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. Waste Management's payout ratio is 48.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James lifted their target price on Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised 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. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.