Nordea Investment Management AB Buys 236,439 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,530,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 236,439 shares during the quarter. Waste Management makes up approximately 0.7% of Nordea Investment Management AB’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $781,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,583,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,092,000. Guerra Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 59.5% during the 3rd quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 9,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,996,000 after acquiring an additional 3,371 shares in the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 537.0% in the third quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,721 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $21,138,000 after acquiring an additional 80,695 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in Waste Management by 19.1% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 69,287 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,301,000 after purchasing an additional 11,135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Wolfe Research started coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Waste Management in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $254.59.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total value of $29,677.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 9,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,279,294.11. The trade was a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total transaction of $1,024,873.18. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 99,929 shares in the company, valued at $24,320,720.02. The trade was a 4.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of WM opened at $231.18 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $93.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.50, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.57. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $231.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $220.65. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its 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). Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.70 EPS. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 56.42%.

Waste Management Company Profile

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.