Ycg LLC Boosts Stock Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Ycg LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 244,787 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 7,988 shares during the quarter. Waste Management accounts for 4.1% of Ycg LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Ycg LLC owned 0.06% of Waste Management worth $54,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in Waste Management during the second quarter worth about $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 2nd quarter worth about $43,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC grew its position in Waste Management by 47.0% during the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Gladwyn Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management in the second quarter worth about $58,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $221.21 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $215.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $219.25. The company has a market cap of $89.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.84, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.59. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $242.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 10.35%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.96 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 51.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WM. Baird R W upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $250.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.06, for a total transaction of $299,542.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,373,112.40. This trade represents a 8.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.