Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Position Trimmed by Capital International Inc. CA

Capital International Inc. CA trimmed its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 80.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,771 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 7,504 shares during the quarter. Capital International Inc. CA's holdings in Waste Management were worth $357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WM. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Waste Management by 250.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,658,733 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $334,716,000 after purchasing an additional 1,184,905 shares during the last quarter. Coastline Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Coastline Trust Co now owns 23,826 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,808,000 after purchasing an additional 2,291 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,426,067 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $489,570,000 after buying an additional 170,046 shares during the last quarter. Dnca Finance acquired a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,650,000. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in Waste Management by 21.1% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 3,150 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $636,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,066 shares in the company, valued at $1,999,506.30. This represents a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.96, for a total transaction of $29,135.04. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,491 shares in the company, valued at $1,995,045.36. This represents a 1.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 95,577 shares of company stock worth $21,662,464 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.6 %

Waste Management stock opened at $230.84 on Monday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.59 and a 12 month high of $239.32. The stock has a market cap of $92.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $227.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $219.11. 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 (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. This is a boost from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management's payout ratio is presently 48.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on WM shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, January 31st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $237.76.

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.

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