MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH Boosts Stake in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH lifted its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,344 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,867 shares during the period. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $5,597,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in Waste Management during the second quarter valued at $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter valued at about $43,000. eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management during the first quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Waste Management by 47.0% in the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $220.96 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $213.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $219.62. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $242.58. The company has a market cap of $89.02 billion, a PE ratio of 34.80, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.59.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued 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). Waste Management had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 10.35%.The company had revenue of $6.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 51.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WM. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on Waste Management from $264.00 to $254.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $271.00 to $266.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, CIBC reduced their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $250.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.06, for a total value of $299,542.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,373,112.40. This trade represents a 8.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.