Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Purchased by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 51.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 688,324 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 232,562 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $151,314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,022,916,000. Capital International Investors raised its position in Waste Management by 218.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,369,805 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $302,494,000 after purchasing an additional 939,455 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP boosted its stake in Waste Management by 163.7% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,400,701 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $309,317,000 after purchasing an additional 869,453 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Waste Management by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,436,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,487,924,000 after purchasing an additional 774,255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in Waste Management by 3,209.2% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 681,366 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $150,466,000 after purchasing an additional 660,776 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WM shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays upped their price objective on Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Waste Management from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Waste Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.30.

Trending Headlines about Waste Management

Here are the key news stories impacting Waste Management this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Commentary today reiterated that WM’s irreplaceable physical network supports predictable, inflation-protected cash flow, reinforcing the stock’s appeal as a long-term “forever” holding. Why This Once-in-a-Decade Selloff Makes One Waste Management Company a Forever Stock
• Positive Sentiment: WM also reinforced its brand and operational discipline by updating its Recycle Right® guidance to warn customers not to place batteries in recycling or trash bins, a move that highlights safety focus and could help reduce facility fire risk. WM Updates Recycle Right® Rules: No Batteries in Recycling or Trash
• Neutral Sentiment: Several items referenced capital-markets activity around Waste Management entities, including debt issuance in Canada, which may support financing flexibility but does not appear to be a major stock-moving catalyst for WM’s core U.S. operations. Waste Management eyes selling $750 million in bonds
• Negative Sentiment: WM shares have recently softened amid a broader selloff in industrials and a market session where the stock fell while the wider market rose, suggesting some near-term profit-taking or valuation pressure. Waste Management (WM) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

Waste Management Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE WM opened at $218.73 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.45. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $248.13. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $222.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.79.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.70%.

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.