Nwam LLC Acquires 2,958 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Nwam LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 49.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,934 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,958 shares during the period. Nwam LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,051,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WM. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Sprott Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the first quarter worth about $325,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 8.0% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 272,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $62,339,000 after acquiring an additional 20,122 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Waste Management by 68.2% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 366,416 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $83,843,000 after buying an additional 148,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust co boosted its stake in Waste Management by 5.1% during the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,338 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $764,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings raised Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.67.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of the 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 approximately $19,084,739.94. This represents a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total value of $1,024,873.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 99,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,320,720.02. The trade was a 4.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 61,569 shares of company stock valued at $14,697,365. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of WM stock opened at $215.18 on Monday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $248.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $231.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $222.91. The company has a market cap of $86.41 billion, a PE ratio of 31.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.49.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The business had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.