Virtu Financial LLC Takes Position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 17,684 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,568,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth about $340,611,000. Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 6,272,009 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,265,629,000 after buying an additional 1,151,237 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 67.2% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,765,594 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $366,537,000 after acquiring an additional 709,678 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in Waste Management by 138.0% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 718,546 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $149,168,000 after acquiring an additional 416,579 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Schweiz AG purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,668,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 1,251 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.92, for a total transaction of $282,625.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,420 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,902,246.40. This trade represents a 12.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 44,405 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total value of $10,143,434.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,061 shares in the company, valued at $48,212,664.23. This trade represents a 17.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 95,577 shares of company stock valued at $21,662,464 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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Waste Management Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Waste Management stock traded up $1.02 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $227.26. 1,622,476 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,532,323. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $223.47 and a 200-day moving average of $216.19. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.59 and a 12 month high of $235.81. The company has a market cap of $91.38 billion, a PE ratio of 33.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75. 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 posted its earnings results 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%. 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management's payout ratio is 48.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WM shares. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. 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, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $236.65.

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.