Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Has $566,000 Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. lessened its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 53.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,576 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3,008 shares during the period. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WM. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the third quarter worth approximately $1,583,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,092,000. Guerra Advisors Inc raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 3,371 shares in the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Waste Management by 537.0% during the 3rd quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,721 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $21,138,000 after acquiring an additional 80,695 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 69,287 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,301,000 after purchasing an additional 11,135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.6%

WM stock opened at $227.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $231.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $220.65. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $248.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.57.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 44,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,674,944.26. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 30,390 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.36, for a total value of $7,000,640.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 225,793 shares in the company, valued at $52,013,675.48. The trade was a 11.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $254.59.

Waste Management 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.