Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Acquired by Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. boosted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 13.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 418 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $84,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WM. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its position in Waste Management by 892.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. General Partner Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $233.60 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $228.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $220.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.59 and a 12-month high of $239.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.66.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.08. Waste Management had a return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.75 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 49.77%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 1,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.92, for a total value of $282,625.92. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,902,246.40. This trade represents a 12.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 5,826 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.12, for a total value of $1,294,071.12. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,424,457.04. The trade was a 7.74 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 93,924 shares of company stock valued at $21,298,176 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Hsbc Global Res raised Waste Management from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. CIBC upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.29.

Waste Management Company Profile

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.