Tradewinds LLC. Sells 155 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Tradewinds LLC. decreased its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 4.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,607 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 155 shares during the period. Tradewinds LLC.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $835,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth $1,009,726,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 26,095.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,909,370 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $442,038,000 after purchasing an additional 1,902,081 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 250.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,658,733 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $334,716,000 after purchasing an additional 1,184,905 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 6,272,009 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,265,629,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151,237 shares during the period. Finally, Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth about $205,506,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Waste Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. CIBC lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $244.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $251.00.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 57,888 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.36, for a total value of $13,740,295.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 83,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,922,574.24. This trade represents a 40.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.81, for a total transaction of $159,609.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,542 shares in the company, valued at $3,917,311.02. The trade was a 3.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $226.43 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.59 and a 52 week high of $242.58. The stock has a market cap of $91.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.15, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $232.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $225.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.67% and a return on equity of 35.67%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.75 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were given a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.77%.

Waste Management 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.