Erste Asset Management GmbH Purchases 3,386 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 104,135 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,386 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $23,076,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WM. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 51.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,384,000 after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Sprott Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $325,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 272,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,339,000 after purchasing an additional 20,122 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 68.2% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 366,416 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $83,843,000 after purchasing an additional 148,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust co boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,338 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $764,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:WM opened at $220.45 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $223.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $248.13. The company has a market cap of $88.53 billion, a PE ratio of 31.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.45.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The business had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.945 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WM shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.67.

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.