KBC Group NV Has $77.50 Million Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 352,713 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,716 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $77,495,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WM. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,583,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,092,000. Guerra Advisors Inc grew its position in Waste Management by 59.5% in the 3rd quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 9,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 3,371 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Inc. OK increased its stake in Waste Management by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 196,585 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $43,192,000 after purchasing an additional 3,880 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management by 537.0% during the third quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,721 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $21,138,000 after buying an additional 80,695 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $225.04 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $90.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.54. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $233.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $222.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The firm 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 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total value of $1,724,044.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,644,130. The trade was a 32.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 7,979 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.07, for a total transaction of $1,955,413.53. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 98,656 shares in the company, valued at $24,177,625.92. The trade was a 7.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock valued at $23,039,777. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on WM shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup cut their price target 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. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waste Management in a report on Friday, March 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $254.82.

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.