18,777 Shares in Waste Management, Inc. $WM Acquired by Westfield Capital Management Co. LP

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 18,777 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,147,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WM. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth $1,583,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Waste Management in the third quarter worth about $3,092,000. Guerra Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 59.5% during the 3rd quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 9,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 3,371 shares during the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 537.0% in the 3rd quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,721 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $21,138,000 after purchasing an additional 80,695 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 19.1% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 69,287 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,301,000 after buying an additional 11,135 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Price Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $233.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $94.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50-day moving average is $225.09 and its 200 day moving average is $219.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup cut their price target on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. DZ Bank initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $238.00 to $242.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.55.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 1,021 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.71, for a total transaction of $239,638.91. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,950,205.39. This represents a 10.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 428 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.63, for a total transaction of $94,001.64. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 10,224 shares in the company, valued at $2,245,497.12. This trade represents a 4.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 62,746 shares of company stock worth $14,470,494. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.