Nwam LLC Grows Stake in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Nwam LLC boosted its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 49.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,934 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,958 shares during the period. Nwam LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,051,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Waste Management by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,990,067 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,566,508,000 after purchasing an additional 553,605 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Waste Management by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,668,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,250,613,000 after purchasing an additional 277,250 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Waste Management by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,954,519 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $873,276,000 after purchasing an additional 11,688 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Waste Management by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,530,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $781,494,000 after purchasing an additional 236,439 shares during the period. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP increased its holdings in Waste Management by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 3,262,148 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $720,380,000 after purchasing an additional 364,512 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other news, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total value of $1,024,873.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 99,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,320,720.02. This trade represents a 4.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total value of $29,677.67. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,279,294.11. The trade was a 1.29% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 61,569 shares of company stock worth $14,697,365. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Waste Management Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $215.18 on Monday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $231.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $222.91. The company has a market capitalization of $86.41 billion, a PE ratio of 31.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a $0.945 dividend. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 54.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WM. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Waste Management in a report on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.67.

About Waste Management

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.