Waste Management, Inc. $WM Stock Position Raised by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 15.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 793,346 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 104,843 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned approximately 0.20% of Waste Management worth $173,774,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 88,583 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $19,439,000 after acquiring an additional 2,140 shares in the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Waste Management by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 8,503 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,868,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Old Port Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 16,963 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,727,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,530,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $781,494,000 after purchasing an additional 236,439 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 51.9% in the 4th quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 2,637 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $579,000 after purchasing an additional 901 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of WM stock opened at $231.18 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.57. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $248.13. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $231.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $220.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.70 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side 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 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.945 per share. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total transaction of $4,171,464.31. Following the sale, the vice president owned 44,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,674,944.26. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the sale, the vice president owned 6,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. This represents a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WM shares. Citigroup cut their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group raised Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $254.59.

Waste Management 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.