Lantz Financial LLC Invests $840,000 in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Lantz Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,804 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $840,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,583,000. Guerra Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Waste Management by 59.5% in the third quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 9,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,996,000 after buying an additional 3,371 shares during the last quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. bought a new position in Waste Management during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,092,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its position in Waste Management by 3.1% in the second quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 57,093 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $13,064,000 after acquiring an additional 1,698 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GPM Growth Investors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 50.6% during the 2nd quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. now owns 16,640 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 5,588 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.2%

WM opened at $226.99 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $220.19 and a 200-day moving average of $219.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $194.11 and a 1-year high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 49.25%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 690 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.71, for a total value of $151,599.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 83,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,397,636.56. This trade represents a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 690 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.59, for a total transaction of $151,517.10. Following the sale, the vice president owned 13,376 shares in the company, valued at $2,937,235.84. This represents a 4.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,806 shares of company stock worth $1,490,204. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce dropped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

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.