Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Bought by Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH

Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH grew its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 11.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,099 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,889 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $6,426,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 51.1% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,384,000 after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Sprott Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management during the 1st quarter worth approximately $325,000. Good Life Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $745,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Intrua Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 2,591 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $593,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Burling Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Waste Management by 24.0% in the second quarter. Burling Wealth Partners LLC now owns 23,516 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,381,000 after acquiring an additional 4,554 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total value of $1,165,136.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 78,918 shares in the company, valued at $19,084,739.94. This trade represents a 5.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total value of $4,171,464.31. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 44,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,674,944.26. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock valued at $23,039,777. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM stock opened at $238.61 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $248.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.61, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $229.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.39.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.70 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.945 dividend. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 49.25%.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) is a leading provider of integrated waste management and environmental services in North America. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span collection, transfer, disposal and recycling, along with landfill operations and related infrastructure. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Waste Management serves a broad customer base that includes residential, commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

Core services include curbside and commercial waste collection, roll-off and temporary container services, materials recovery and recycling, and engineered landfill disposal.