SageGuard Financial Group LLC Sells 5,339 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

SageGuard Financial Group LLC lowered its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 20.0% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 21,326 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,339 shares during the period. SageGuard Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $4,901,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Waste Management by 55.3% during the fourth quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Price Performance

WM opened at $226.12 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.72, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $220.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $224.99. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%.Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.30.

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.