Polymer Capital Management US LLC Takes Position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Polymer Capital Management US LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,638 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $331,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its stake in Waste Management by 892.9% in the 4th 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 during the period. General Partner Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 1,251 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.92, for a total value of $282,625.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,420 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,902,246.40. The trade was a 12.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 191 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.22, for a total transaction of $42,062.02. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,349,728.38. This represents a 3.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 95,577 shares of company stock worth $21,662,464 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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Waste Management Price Performance

Waste Management stock traded up $2.85 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $229.30. 1,920,866 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,639,419. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $227.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $218.28. The stock has a market cap of $92.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.66. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $196.59 and a one year high of $239.32. 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 announced its 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 return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. On average, equities analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. This is a boost from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on WM shares. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. CIBC boosted their target price on Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup increased their price target on Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $237.76.

Waste Management Company 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.