Partners Group Holding AG Increases Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Partners Group Holding AG grew its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 50.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 179,361 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 59,769 shares during the period. Waste Management accounts for approximately 1.3% of Partners Group Holding AG's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Partners Group Holding AG's holdings in Waste Management were worth $36,193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 892.9% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 139 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. General Partner Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 65.7% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 174 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,999,506.30. This trade represents a 2.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 44,405 shares of Waste Management 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 95,577 shares of company stock valued at $21,662,464. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WM. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective 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. Citigroup upped their price target on Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $236.65.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE:WM traded up $0.23 on Thursday, hitting $229.16. The stock had a trading volume of 1,354,057 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,530,715. 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 business's fifty day moving average is $224.25 and its 200 day moving average is $216.37. The company has a market cap of $92.15 billion, a PE ratio of 33.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. 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. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.53%.

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.