Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA Boosts Stock Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA lifted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 31.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 342,774 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 82,048 shares during the period. Waste Management makes up approximately 1.0% of Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA owned approximately 0.09% of Waste Management worth $69,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in Waste Management by 4,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its position 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 buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. General Partner Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Waste Management by 65.7% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 174 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Waste Management stock traded up $0.65 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $228.38. The stock had a trading volume of 1,692,913 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,692,975. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.59 and a 1 year high of $230.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock's 50 day moving average is $212.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $212.45. The stock has a market cap of $91.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.78.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 38.88%. As a group, analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.44%. This is a boost from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 44.12%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.89, for a total value of $903,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 18,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,185,967.59. The trade was a 17.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 191 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.22, for a total transaction of $42,062.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,349,728.38. This trade 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 have sold 16,055 shares of company stock valued at $3,578,340. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Argus lifted their price target on Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com downgraded Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. CIBC lifted their price target on Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Waste Management from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $235.94.

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.