Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Sold by M&T Bank Corp

M&T Bank Corp reduced its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 205,815 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 5,711 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp owned approximately 0.05% of Waste Management worth $41,531,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WM. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 4,000.0% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its stake 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 valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. General Partner Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating 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 for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Raymond James increased their price target on Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Nine investment 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 MarketBeat, Waste Management has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $236.65.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 5,826 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.12, for a total value of $1,294,071.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 69,442 shares in the company, valued at $15,424,457.04. This trade represents a 7.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 44,405 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total value of $10,143,434.15. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,061 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,212,664.23. The trade was a 17.38 % decrease in their position. 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 quarter. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:WM traded up $0.59 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $230.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,620,719 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,524,205. 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 company has a market capitalization of $92.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $217.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $214.49. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. Equities analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Waste Management's payout ratio is currently 48.53%.

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.