Waste Management, Inc. $WM Stock Position Lessened by MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH

MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH decreased its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,031 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,313 shares during the quarter. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $5,116,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WM. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 101.5% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the third quarter worth $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management during the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen raised their target price on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Citigroup decreased their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.64.

Waste Management Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $223.97 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $248.13. The company has a market cap of $90.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $233.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $222.10.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The company had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.42%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total value of $4,171,464.31. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 44,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,674,944.26. This represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. This represents a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.