Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Trims Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina trimmed its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 13.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 196,411 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 31,074 shares during the quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's holdings in Waste Management were worth $39,634,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. General Partner Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Waste Management stock traded down $0.89 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $231.41. 1,323,560 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,636,871. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.59 and a 1 year high of $239.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.66. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $227.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $218.47.

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Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 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%. As a group, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WM has been the subject of several research reports. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised their price objective on Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $237.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In related news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 5,732 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.51, for a total value of $1,304,087.32. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 55,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,646,598.37. This trade represents a 9.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 191 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.22, for a total value of $42,062.02. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,129 shares in the company, valued at $1,349,728.38. This represents a 3.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 95,577 shares of company stock valued at $21,662,464. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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.